


The Lure of the Unknown

by ChangeTheCircumstances



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Established Relationship, F/M, Gen, M/M, Post-Uncharted 4, Rafe lived, apparently it runs in the family, bringing back the supernatural element, everyone ended up happy after 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-14
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-07-15 00:10:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7197191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChangeTheCircumstances/pseuds/ChangeTheCircumstances
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Apparently treasure hunting runs in the family. At least that's what Sam thinks when he discovers that his niece has unknowingly come along on a hunt. He thinks the mishap will be simple enough. Call Sully and have him come back and get Cassie back to her parents. However, factors out of his control quickly disrupt that simple idea.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Revealing the Truth

**Author's Note:**

> I really should just focus on a singular story but apparently my brain can't so here is my third Uncharted story. A huge thank you to anyone who decides to read it. Thanks for taking the time <3

Sam grinned as he watched his brother guide the boat beside the plane.

“I thought you said you guys were hot on the trail of Atlantis,” Nate grinned. “I was surprised when you called in that you were stopping by.”

“It was on the way. Besides, nobody has figured out the clues yet. We don’t exactly have to worry about any race,” Sam replied as he threw a small bag to his brother and climbed into the boat.

“Only a night though, right?”

“Yep,” said Sam.

Nate grinned as he caught another bag. “Sully! You keeping these two out of trouble?”

“Tryin,” Sully said with a roll of his eyes. He leaned against the open hatch of the plane as the third person came out, Rafe Adler.

A little more than thirteen years had passed since the Avery treasure. To put it kindly, the entire event was now considered ‘water under the bridge’ not that Rafe and Nate got along. Still, over a decade had passed and with both age and new experiences, they had both mellowed to the point where they talked to each other in mostly sarcastic comments that no one could ever tell if they were just joking or being mean spirited.

But miracle of miracles Sam had somehow made it work, and with Elena on his side the entire process had been made easier. Despite everything, Elena and Rafe got along well (a connection that still really baffled everyone) but which had definitely decreased the death threats. And with Cassie’s birth, the fact that Rafe seemed just as enchanted by her as everyone else certainly had eased the tension a great deal.

Now Rafe easily slid into the boat and said with a nod in between polite and curt, “Nate.”

“Rafe,” he replied. “You both headed into certain death again?”

“Hoping to finally get rid of me?”

“Well it would certainly be a plus.”

Sam rolled his eyes, kicking at Rafe’s leg and elbowing his brother. “We’ll see you in a bit Victor.”

“Be back by dinner?” asked Nate.

“Should be. Just stocking up on fuel and grabbing some extra supplies,” Sully replied. “See you kids later.”

“Christ Sully, you gotta stop calling us that,” joked Nate.

“Hey, compared to me, you still are,” smirked Sully. “I’ll see you in a few.”

Nate gave a little wave as he guided the boat away. After Sully had started up the plane and already taken off, Sam said, “So exactly why did you warn us when I called?”

“I told Cassie,” Nate replied.

Rafe’s eyes actually went wide in shock. “You _told_ told her? You?”

“Well she did have to break into the cabinet first.”

Sam snorted. “Of course she did. What did you tell her?”

“Everything. At least everything that I’ve been present for. Figured it was only right for you two to tell her your own adventures,” Nate said. “Hence the warning. She was ecstatic to hear that you all were coming. I’m pretty sure this entire trip is going to consist of storytelling.”

“Well I certainly don’t mind,” chuckled Sam. “We definitely have a few good ones to tell. So…”

After a few questions, Nate started talking about what he and Elena had been up to all the way back to the dock where Nate got out and quickly tied the boat. Sam and Rafe had just grabbed their bags and climbed out when they saw the door to the little beach home open. Vicky ran out first quickly followed by Cassie.

“Sam! Rafe!”

She barreled into them with a worthy bone crushing hug as Vicky barked and jumped around them, catching the familiar scent.

Rafe nudged the dog away as she continuously tried to brush up against his leg though he of course couldn’t keep her at bay. Cassie pulled back first with a pointed look.

“Tell me everything.”

Nate snorted. “Told you. Come on Cassie, let’s at least let them get settled.”

“They’re staying for a night. No time for that!” Cassie said excitedly. She rapped one arm around Sam’s and then the other around Rafe’s as Vicky moved from Rafe to Sam. “Alright, start at the beginning.”

Sam chuckled and started talking first as they moved down the dock, onto the beach, and into his brother’s home. Rafe did manage to disentangle himself and made his way to Elena. Sam wasn’t surprised. After all, talking about the earlier times didn’t exactly bring up good memories from Rafe’s point of view and he hated thinking about Sam’s time in prison (Nate did to for that matter and Sam quickly realized that he’d brushed over that fact rather quickly with Cassie because she was pretty insistent about learning more on that). So after putting his bag down in the guest room that Rafe and he often used, he sat down on the bed with Cassie and started from the beginning.

He did a quick overview of his and her father’s past, some of their early years and his first meeting with Sully (Nate had already told her about when they met), and then onto their first meeting with Rafe.

Nearly two hours passed by the time Sam got through everything, his two years with Rafe, his betrayal of Rafe and Nate, all the way to the end of getting out of the cave as Avery’s treasure fell to the bottom of the ocean. Rafe had popped up a few times but he only stayed when Sam started talking about everyone getting out of the cave and the recovery period. Rafe mostly just listened but he occasionally added his own comment or answered a question that was directed towards him.

Cassie seemed to find it hard to believe that they had all once been trying to kill each other, perhaps even harder than the zombies in El-Dorado (which Sam even had trouble believing every now and then).

Then came the next thirteen years; the hospital time for Rafe, the reconciliation, the time taken to properly sit down  and talk (even if force had been necessary), the new treasures, clues, and hunts that then just involved Sam and Rafe and occasionally Sully. They still had about six years to talk about though when Elena finally interrupted.

“Sully just got back and dinner will be ready in about thirty minutes,” Elena said.

Cassie grinned and quickly kissed both of her uncles before jumping up and saying, “I’ll see you in a few.”

She rushed out, almost certainly with the intent to hear Sully’s own stories.

Elena laughed, her eyes lingering on her daughter before she turned back to Sam and Rafe. “You’re welcome for the break.”

Sam chuckled and grinned. “Ah, she hasn’t been that bad.”

Rafe rolled his eyes and Elena laughed again. She said, “Well, dinner will be done soon. I think Cassie is also hellbent on playing a game of _Risk_ so be ready for that too.”

“Oh, game on!” Sam laughed. “I’ll be ready.”

Elena just chuckled and turned to leave. The moment she was gone, Rafe leaned his head against Sam’s shoulder and sighed heavily.

“I could have just popped over to tell you when we were done with those parts,” Sam said as he started to slowly rub circles into Rafe’s back. “I know how much you hate listening about all that.”

“It’s ridiculous how it affects me after all these years.”

“No it’s not,” sighed Sam as he moved his hand from Rafe’s back to his hair, moving his fingers through it slowly and softly. “I mean, it’s not like those times were happy ones or anything. You may never really get over it. Hell, I’m not over it! Neither is Nate. We just deal with it in different ways, different things bother us, just depends.”

Rafe hummed softly as Sam continued in his movement. As Rafe’s hair slowly fell out of place, he murmured, “I hate it when you do that.”

“That explains why you never tell me to stop when I do,” Sam replied with a small smile.

Rafe just continued to hum as he closed his eyes and nuzzled against Sam’s throat. Sam got Rafe’s hair good and messy until it hung just in front of his eyes and then bent down, kissing first Rafe’s forehead and then moving until he was kissing his temple and then his ear, going along his chin and then back up to his mouth.

“You’re trying to distract me,” Rafe murmured against Sam’s lips.

“Is it working?”

“Somewhat.”

Sam grinned and fell back against the bed, pulling Rafe with him so they were curled up together. “Better?” he asked.

“Hmm, better.”

Rafe wrapped one arm around Sam and curled in close like he so often did. The act that was now so natural had taken months, years really to develop. Time spent reforming trust and companionship and letting each other in (for the second time really considering their two years together before finding the second St. Dismis Cross). Even still, Rafe wasn’t too willing to reveal any form of vulnerability around others but around Sam he could.

Sam trailed a finger under Rafe’s shirt and over his skin. He gave Rafe a mischievous glance. “You know, we’ve been hold up with Sully for a pretty damn long time. We could skip dinner.”

Rafe let out a small snort. “Oh so elegant,” he muttered as he rolled his eyes. Sarcasm dripping from his voice, he asked, “Why did I marry you?”

Sam grinned and felt the slightly raised skin over Rafe’s ring finger where the circular tattoo lay. “I imagine it’s my great charm.”

Rafe snorted just as a groan came from the doorway. “Urgh! You’re as sappy as mom and dad,” groaned Cassie. “Now hurry up and come to dinner.”

Sam chuckled and pushed himself up. “Alright alright. I’m assuming you’ve gotten your fair share of stories today?”

“No way! After _Risk_ you’re totally catching me up on it all. And the Atlantis job!”

Rafe rolled his eyes. “We’re in the middle of that. Not exactly much to catch up on.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Cassie replied as she walked over and pulled Rafe up. “I get to hear it all.”

The three headed out of the room and to the living room where Sully and Nate were already sitting with bowls of food and a board game laid out on the table. Elena joined them after feeding Vicky who quickly went to rest by Cassie’s side during the rest of the game.

The room filled with casual talking and laughter as they only briefly discussed things involving work and mostly focused on teasing each other and trying to win the game. During it, Sam pulled out a toothpick that he placed in the corner of his mouth and occasionally rolled around. Having succeeded in not smoking for the past five months, it was a habit that he’d quickly picked up to replace the usual cigarette between his lips.

He rolled it around as he thought about his next move, him and Cassie eventually being the last ones left standing.

In the end, they decided on a momentary draw until their next meeting as Cassie still wanted to hear more tales and more truths about her family’s past. They went into the late night until it was all out in the open. She tried to get them to tell more about Atlantis but there honestly wasn’t much to talk about. Just a few clues and old documents curtsey of the ancient explorer Himilco that were leading to a location in the Mediterranean Sea. There was a possibility that the clues and phrases that had been left in Himilco’s notes would lead them to something as of yet undiscovered but, if it lead to anything, it would more likely be another clue than actually Atlantis.

Afterwards, everyone finally went to bed, Cassie a bit reluctantly. The home on the beach then turned silent until about five in the morning when Elena got up first and started working on a new article. Rafe was next. He slipped out of Sam’s arms and headed out to find Elena.

Something Rafe and Elena always tried to do was to cook something together as out of everyone, Elena was definitely the best at it. For a long time, Rafe hadn’t needed to cook for himself or anyone else and had never really wanted to either. But with Sam he did and the few chances he got he always took them. Helping Elena just gave him more experience. As far as both Sam and Nate went, they were pretty good at scrounging up anything in a tight spot but were awful with actual cooking.

By the time everyone else was getting up, Elena and Rafe had filled the kitchen with enough food to feed the six people there and then some. Vicky hovered around them, mouth open and waiting for any food that might drop.

After breakfast, Sam, Rafe, and Nate went into town to get some final supplies while Sully went over weather and flight patterns to their next location.

Cassie had already given her goodbyes, talking about heading to a friend’s house for lunch, so no one was surprised when she wasn’t around as Nate sailed them out to Sully’s plane. They gave some final goodbyes and then they climbed in for the long ride. It was six hours, then a stop to refuel the plane and a much needed moment to stretch their legs, and four more hours before they finally landed near the island of Capri. They were near the Blue Grotto, a popular tourist destination, but what they wanted was actually above it. They’d brought equipment for spelunking and rock climbing and camping in a cave, anything that they might need and enough equipment and food for over a week though if needed there was the island’s city near by. The caves that they would be looking through were laid under Capri and hopefully they would find why the area had been so important to Himilco.

Sully, Sam, and Rafe scouted the area first before going back to the plane and unpacking the crates and putting them on the boat. They sailed back to the island and arranged everything into packs that they could carry on their shoulders up to the cave opening they’d be exploring.

“Well, you’ve got everything. Contact me if you do find anything or if you need help,” Sully said.

“Will do Victor. Have a safe flight back,” Sam replied.

Sully smiled in return and headed back to his plane while Sam and Rafe got everything ready. They had extremely basic and possibly misleading maps along with the word from a guy who’d been dead for centuries. Still, they had gone on less before and started to make their way into the caves, following the words in the dead man’s journal.

The progress was slow as they examined the walls, ceiling, and floor of the cave as best they could, not wanting to miss any clue or sign that might have been etched into the walls years ago.

The first stretch was a singular path that steadily led downwards with no branching off sections but several twists and turns. They stopped after about an hour’s work to simply make sure they stayed hydrated before starting off again. However, a few more minutes through the cave they stopped, suddenly hearing incredibly distinct footsteps coming their way.

There was nothing to suggest that the person might be hostile as they clearly weren’t trying to sneak up on them due to the footsteps and the bobbing light that quickly became clear, though the person behind it remained a mystery until Sam called out, “Who’s there?”

“Hey Uncle Sam,” Cassie said as she came into view. “So, found anything yet?”


	2. Not Going Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those reading this and for comments and kudos. I'll try to update this every other day but we'll just have to see. Thanks again for reading. Please enjoy :)

“Cassie what the hell are you doing here!?” cried Sam as he rushed towards her. “Are you alright? Are you okay? How did you—”

“I got on Sully’s plane,” she replied. At Sam and Rafe’s blank expressions, she added, “You know, when I said I was ‘going’ to a friend’s house? While you guys were in town and Sully checked the weather I snuck in.”

“Well how did you sneak out!” cried Rafe.

“When you guys were scouting the area, before you started to unpack anything, I just jumped in the water and swam over. Hence the damp clothes,” she grinned, waving a plastic bag that most have carried her dry clothes and now held the ones she’d swam in.

Rafe covered his face with his hands. “Cassandra, did you listen to nothing that we, or your parents told you?”

“Of course! And I knew that dad would have never let me come along,” she replied.

“So you just decided to come along,” groaned Sam. “Why didn’t you just come by immediately? It’s been an hour since Sully left.”

“Because exactly that,” Cassie said with an obvious look on her face. “You guys would have just thrown me back on the plane.”

“You’re right. And that’s exactly what we’re going to do,” Rafe replied as he grabbed her hand.

However, she jerked it away and shook her head. “You said it was only you after Atlantis. No one else had figured out the clues. Come on. It will be fine.”

“Cassie,” sighed Sam, “the only constant in treasure hunting is that anything can happen, including unexpected parties getting involved.”

“But come on. After everything you guys have told me and you don’t expect me to want to come along? I mean my dad freaking found El Dorado and now you’re looking for Atlantis!”

Rafe shook his head. “Even if we didn’t have to worry about the possibilities of other parties, these things can be physically dangerous. Traps, natural corrosion—”

“Basically, we’re calling Victor to fly back here and get you,” Sam replied. “And we’re calling your parents too. You know it’s been over ten hours! They’re probably worried sick.”

“I left a letter,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

“Oh good. So my brother already knows to kill me,” muttered Sam. “Come on Cassie. You’re going home.”

She crossed her arms stubbornly and adjusted her glasses. “Well even if you do that, it’ll still take Sully some time to get here. It certainly couldn’t hurt if I stuck with Rafe and helped while you called.”

Sam just groaned but decided that he might as well let her do that. If he dragged her up then she’d probably just sneak back into the caves. Shaking his head, Sam said, “Just don’t go much farther. I’ll be right back.”

Sam hurried back to the surface. It took less than half the time needed to go down as there was nothing to analyze either. When he finally started to get a signal, he got in contact with Sully and told him everything that had just happened.

“I’ll call Nate too, tell him you’re on your way back and Cassie will be back home shortly,” muttered Sam.

“Will do. It’ll take about another hour to actually fly back,” Sully said.

“Yeah, figured as much. Just try to come as fast as possible before something else happens,” Sam said. After ending the call, he quickly got his brother on the line. “Before you say anything, this wasn’t my idea.”

“I believe you Sam.”

“Do you?” he asked. “Cause it sounds like you’re going to take my head off.”

“More like Cassie’s,” Nate replied. “I can’t believe she did this. And I can. I just should have seen this coming.”

“Don’t blame yourself,” sighed Sam. “She’s pretty damn sneaky. I’ll call you when Sully gets in though and when she’s on the plane.”

“Make sure you see her on that plane,” Nate replied. “Physically there. I don’t need her sneaking off a second time.”

“Sully and I will restrain her to a seat if we have to,” laughed Sam.

Nate snorted on the other end and muttered, “Yeah, well see that you do. Thanks for calling though. I mean…I know she left the note and it’s not like I don’t trust you or anything…but doesn’t make the fact that she literally just disappeared out from under our noses any better.”

“I get it Nathan. I do,” Sam assured him. “Want me to drag her out to talk to you?”

“No, I think a scolding will be more effective in person.”

“Will do,” chuckled Sam. “I’ll talk to you in a few then. Tell you when Victor lands and everything.”

“Great, thanks brother. Talk to you later.”

“Bye.”

With that done, Sam quickly headed back into the cave system. He noted that Cassie and Rafe had moved along farther than he would have liked.

“Cassie, you do realize that in less than an hour you’re going to have to go, right?”

She rolled her eyes in response. “And I thought you two were supposed to be the fun uncles. You’re being to over protective.”

“If we didn’t tell you _every_ bloody detail it’s because we wanted you to still sleep at night,” sighed Rafe. “This isn’t just some fun excursion. It is a job and a dangerous one at that.”

“A job where you steal people’s dead stuff?”

“Discover,” Sam quickly said. “Discover dead people’s stuff and if we take something for compensation then so be it.”

She snorted. “Still don’t get why I can’t stick around longer. I’ve been scuba diving and rock climbing and all sorts of stuff with mom and dad. I’m quite good actually.”

“You’re also thirteen,” Rafe added. “And I really don’t want to be responsible for you getting hurt.”

“Besides,” added Sam, “if we find something, we’ll drag you back once everything is secure and protected.”

Cassie cocked an eyebrow. “Isn’t half the fun actually seeing it for the first time? Without archeologists or scientists running all over it? And what if it ends up like my dad where everything he finds it gets destroyed?”

Rafe let out a small snort. “She’s got you there.”

“Doesn’t matter Cassie,” Sam replied. “You’re leaving before something happens.”

“But I found this,” she exclaimed, grabbing hold of Sam’s hand and dragging him to one of the cave walls where a symbol lay. She brushed more dirt away and pointed at it. “See?”

Sam sighed and crossed his arms, at least giving her his time. He looked it over but then shook his head. “Unfamiliar. Probably nothing.”

“So just because you don’t recognize it immediately, it doesn’t mean anything?” pouted Cassie.

“We are still close to the surface and it’s not as faded as would be expected,” Sam replied. “Besides, others could have wondered in here and done that.”

“It doesn’t say ‘Jake hearts Chris’,” muttered Cassie. “It’s a symbol.”

“And if it means anything we will find out,” said Rafe. “But that doesn’t mean you suddenly get to stay.”

She rolled her eyes again but when Sam motioned towards the exit of the cave, she slowly headed that way. Still, she dragged her feet as much as she could and tried any look (from pitying to angry) as they went. However, the moment they left the cave, the plan to get Cassie on the plane went out the window.

The first thing Sam’s eyes spotted were the guns on their hips and strapped to their backs. Then came the fact that they were going through all their belongings that they had left outside the cave. And finally the face of one of them as a name came to Sam’s mind. It had been known that Alicia Kemp was searching for Atlantis but not for the same reason as most.

In different circumstances, Sam would have probably done something stupid, Rafe too for that matter. Instead they both stepped in front of Cassie as guns turned towards them.

“You seem surprised to see us,” Kemp said with a small smile. “Did you really think we wouldn’t come?”

“Didn’t think you were smart enough to follow the signs,” growled out Sam as men quickly surrounded them, grabbing anything and everything from their person’s.

“Alright Alicia, you’ve found the place. Good for you. Now just let us go,” Rafe said.

“Let you go? The infamous Adler and Drake want to just walk away?” asked Kemp as she came closer. “Does it have anything to do with this?”

“I’m a person,” Cassie shot back before Rafe or Sam could do anything. “Not ‘this’.”

Rafe quickly stepped in front of her though and added, “Anyways, just let us go Alicia. We won’t come back. We won’t try to take this from you. Just. Let. Us. Go.”

The woman laughed in response, seeming incredibly amused by this. “You realize what the story claims, correct? Three sacrifices? We were going to just kidnap some but now we have the perfect three right in our hands.”

“And if it’s not here?” hissed Sam

“Then you can surely help us with the next clue.”

“Your beliefs are bullshit,” Rafe growled. “This stone you’re looking for, a myth. It doesn’t even have ties to Atlantis.”

“So you say,” Kemp replied.

“Fine. Then none that are verifiable,” muttered Sam. “Either way, you’re not hurting Cassie.”

Kemp went towards her, just to undermine his statement, but Rafe’s response was immediate as he slammed his fist into her stomach and got his arms around her neck. Of course, a single gun was then trained upon them and there was really nothing to do but let her go or get shot.

When Rafe finally did step back, a man kicked him hard from behind so that Rafe fell his knees and then hit him hard in the head with the butt of his gun. Still, Rafe just barely held himself up. He spit out the blood and then sent a glare towards Kemp. “Don’t you dare touch her.”

Kemp suddenly tapped Cassie on the nose. She jumped back and out of the way but Kemp forcibly grabbed her. “You mean like this?”

Both Sam and Rafe jolted forward but armed men easily shoved them both down. Cassie struggled though and spit out, “Get your hands off of me lady!”

“Hmm, so testy,” murmured Kemp. “I wonder who you get that from. Assuming you’re not just some random child.”

Cassie spoke before Rafe or Sam could stop her. “I’m their niece!”

Kemp smirked and tapped Cassie’s cheek. “How sweet. We have ourselves a little family here. Kotsu, Booker, you keep an eye on the little girl—”

“Who you calling little!”

“—and Marks, Pellegrino, you watch Drake. I’ll keep an eye on Alder. For old time’s sake,” Kemp grinned.

* * *

 

Rather quickly, Cassie found herself pulled away from her uncles. Two guards stayed on either side all the time as the men mulled about, readying for the walk through the caves. Cassie had tried to get answers out of them but they’d only told her to shut up repeatedly. However, neither seemed as willing to hit her as they had been to hit her uncles so she tried a few more questions.

“How does Kemp know Uncle Rafe?”

One of them, Kotsu, groaned but Booker seemed to have enough of her constant chatter because he finally answered. “She was in the same circles as he was back in the early days. Momentarily worked together on the Avery treasure though nothing came of it.”

“And what about Atlantis? Why is that important?” asked Cassie. “Why would you need sacrifices—”

“We told you enough now shut up!” growled Kotsu.

The way his hand lingered on his gun had Cassie deciding that perhaps enough was enough for now. She’d certainly never thought this would have happened. Had she kind of hoped for something dangerous to occur? Yeah, but not to be kidnapped by people who wanted to sacrifice them for whatever messed up reason.

There were still to many questions as to who these people and who Kemp was. Cassie wished she could ask her uncles about it but that seemed an impossibility as they were all separated. She could see them of course, all on different ends of this little camp. But they were far enough away where they couldn’t actually say anything to each other.

Sam was stuck glowering at anyone that came near, clearly wishing he could get a good punch or kick at them. He kept moving his lips like he was trying to roll an invisible cigarette in his mouth, his fingers nervously tapping together every once in a while.

Blood remained on the back of Rafe’s hand and his shirt, just a little drying at the corner of his mouth. Kemp continually talked to him but he never appeared interested. Always avoiding her eyes, it was easy to tell that he was cataloging anything and everything he saw, looking for an advantage, an out.

Cassie glanced at them a few times but mostly her eyes kept to the sky. She was looking for Sully’s plane which was supposed to arrive any second now. She didn’t know if anything would come of it but maybe if she jumped up and waved her arms some, maybe he’d spot them. Or maybe she’d get shot. That didn’t exactly make the act worth it but it seemed more likely that she’d just get hit. After all, the Kemp woman seemed to be taking pleasure out of the entire situation, especially Rafe’s discomfort, and keeping Cassie alive would likely help add to that.

So Cassie sat and watched and waited but right when she thought she might see Sully’s plane in the distance, everything started to be gathered up and pushed towards the cave opening, including Sam, Rafe, and herself.

Cassie struggled some but there wasn’t much else to do. By accident or on purpose, it was difficult to say, but she ended up near Sam while Rafe remained with Kemp and near the front.

One man said, “Talk and I’ll shoot you in the knees.”

Sam glared at the man as way of answer and Cassie quickly felt him wrap an arm around her shoulders. She looked up to see that Sam’s face clearly challenged the man to do anything but they didn’t say anything else and Sam’s grip quickly tightened.

Cassie wondered if it was all her fault. But her choice to sneak along hadn’t impacted Alicia Kemp and her men at all. They had been coming no matter what. But perhaps Sam and Rafe would have been more aware at the very least, more on edge rather than just focusing on her getting out and to the plane.

She felt awful about that, but perhaps her being there could change from a disadvantage to a plus. Cassie had noted the man in front of her and the knife lazily strapped to his side before they’d disappeared into the darkness. There were only a few lights in front and behind them so that if that man was still in front of her and she got the placement right, she might just improve their situation.

This new group pushed past the last spot they’d been at, not bothering to analyze every little crack and crevice. Just as they were rudely pushing away the equipment Rafe and Sam had brought with them, Cassie rolled her shoulders to loosen her uncle’s grip on her. With that done, she fell forward and onto the man in front of them.

“Sorry, sorry,” she whispered multiple times, making her voice sound hushed and afraid. The man in front of her, who she could just barely make out, only grunted and they quickly continued onwards. However, as Sam again put his arm around her, Cassie moved closer and pressed the knife into his other hand.


	3. Taking the Advantage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thank you again. Please enjoy :)

They walked for a while, steadily going down the entire time, until they finally reached a crossroads. Three paths broke off in front of them and the opening was large enough that most everyone piled in. It meant Rafe was closer to Sam and Cassie. He looked over at Sam in the soft illumination of the headlights and flashlights. They needed to get free, some way somehow. Cave systems rarely had one opening. He needed to get Cassie out of their and away from Kemp before something happened.

The only constant with Kemp was that she was unstable and unpredictable. She talked about her stupid ritual, what could barely be called a religion, and yet Rafe doubted that she would truly hold to that. For all he knew she could get angry enough and try to kill them at some random point. He needed Cassie away from her.

With the closer proximity, Rafe could tell that Sam was close enough to Cassie to protect her and likely be able to run off with her. He also caught sight of the knife carefully hidden in his hand. Moving his eyes to look at Sam, he gave a slight nod that he was able to catch. Sam returned it.

Now that everyone was closer and squished together in this enclosed space, Rafe had an advantage and a chance to help Sam and Cassie get away. In a split second, Rafe started to throw his punches, his kicks, went rabid to draw the attention and the forces to him. When he heard someone call out, “They’re getting away!” Rafe managed to grab a gun and fired in front of him, hitting a man squarely in the chest before being shoved to the ground.

Rafe felt the gun shoved against his head and waited for the end. As long as Cassie got out. As long as Sam was safe. As long as this wasn’t for nothing.

But the gun didn’t go off and eventually it was removed from his head.

Kemp clicked her tongue as she lightly kicked Rafe in the face. “Such a foolish move. I want two guards in here at all times. The girl and Drake will either come back this way or starve to death.”

“What about Adler?” one man shouted. “He killed one of our men!”

“Rafe remains alive,” Kemp replied, her tone harsh and leaving no room for argument.

Then Rafe was pulled up and he was staring into Kemp’s face. With a ragged breath, he growled out, “Why can’t you just be a greedy psychopath? I could deal with a greedy psychopath.”

“What? Because you use to be one yourself?” asked Kemp.

Rafe let out a huff as way of answer, not allowing himself to rise to the bate.

“Really now, it’s not my fault you don’t have vision. I tried to show you before,” Kemp replied. “I tried contacting you again.”

“And you’re surprised I didn’t answer?” hissed Rafe. “You’re delusional. You actually believe this stupid rock exists and that it can give you powers or some bullshit.”

Kemp sighed softly and patted Rafe on the cheek. “Poor naïve thing. But you will see soon enough.”

Rafe’s response was to spit in her face but that simply had her chuckling, low and dark.

* * *

 

Though Cassie thought she might have seen Sully’s plane, she had in fact been looking the wrong way. Sully did not get close enough to distinguish faces but he saw the movement around the area and it was far more than could be caused by two men and a teenager. Still, he tried to call Sam or Rafe, but upon finally getting a better look at a nearby boat, he recognized the name and markings that belonged to Alicia Kemp. Sully had only met with her a few times but her reputation as a nut preceded her.

With that in mind, Sully quickly got Nate on the phone. “Alicia Kemp is here.”

“Cassie?” Nate asked, his voice strained and worry filling it quickly.

“Nowhere in sight and I can’t get a hold of Sam or Rafe.”

“Stay there,” Nate quickly said. “Watch to make sure they don’t come out. I’ll…I’ll figure out something and then Elena and I will be over as soon as possible.”

“She’s got a small army Nate. Don’t know what we’ll be able to do,” Sully replied.

“Got any better suggestions because please, I am open to them.”

“Sadly, no.”

“Do you think…” Nate trailed off. “Do you?”

“Cassie’s a strong kid.”

“That’s not really an answer.”

“I know. I just don’t have one for you,” sighed Sully.

There was silence for a moment, a heaviness that weighed down Nate. There was that possibility, that chance that he had already lost his daughter, his brother, and his brother-in-law in one go. But he didn’t let that thought take him and finally responded, “Keep an eye on the area. We’ll be there soon.”

* * *

 

The moment Rafe had acted, Sam had taken down one of the nearby men and grabbed his flashlight and gun. Rafe created enough of a distraction that he was able to grab Cassie by the hand and they blindly ran down one tunnel that quickly tapered in height and widened in length. It was only once they were a good ways in that Sam dared to turn on the flashlight.

“Cassie? Cassie you alright?”

She was breathing heavily, her eyes stuck on the darkness behind them. After a few deep breaths, she got out, “Rafe. What about Rafe?”

“Shh, keep your voice down Cassie. He…he let us escape. Now we just need to find another way out of here,” Sam replied. He didn’t let his voice crack, didn’t dare as he wondered if Rafe was even still alive. He’d heard that gun go off. He couldn’t help but wonder what the bullet had hit. But that would have been to much and his emotions would have overtaken him. Instead, he just focused on Cassie. “We need to keep moving and find a way to get out. Assuming we won’t be able to find any water, we have about three days that we can survive down here. And take this.” Sam pressed the knife back into Cassie’s hands, keeping the gun in the waist of his pants. “Just in case.”

Cassie mutely nodded and immediately started to crawl forward again. Sam moved with her, for a while both remaining silent as they pushed farther forward.

However, Cassie eventually spoke up, keeping her voice low. “I’m sorry.”

“For what? Being curious?” murmured Sam. “Kemp would have come anyways.”

“Why is she here?” asked Cassie. “What is this stone or rock or whatever everyone keeps referencing?”

“A fable,” muttered Sam. “Unconnected to any major culture, at least that we know of. It’s been rumored to exist for centuries. Supposed to bring immortality and—”

“Bullshit powers?” questioned Cassie.

“Language,” Sam murmured with a small half-smile. “But yeah, that’s basically it and some ceremony gets performed. But all the documents and mentions of this stone are so vague that it’s less likely it’s talking about one thing and more likely just encompassing the folk tales of all ancient religions.”

“That’s why it can’t be verified?”

“Basically. Nothing specific enough to go on,” sighed Sam. “And Kemp is utterly obsessed with it. Bat-shit insane.”

“Why focus on Atlantis then?”

“Honestly, no idea,” Sam muttered.

“Maybe she just wanted an interesting cave,” Cassie tried. “You know, _Temple of Doom_ and all that.”

“Well, since you’re obviously the annoying kid, who does that make me?” chuckled Sam.

“You’re trying to distract me by moving to another subject.”

“Of course.”

Cassie let out a slight snort. “That’s nice but I’m not falling for it so easily.”

“Still, can be good to get the mind off life threatening situations.”

She hummed softly to herself. “In that case…Rafe is definitely Willie Scott.”

Sam snorted and momentarily covered his face with his arm to keep the laughter in.

“Hey, don’t laugh to hard. You’re like Mola Ram or someone. I’m definitely Indie.”

“In your dreams squirt,” smirked Sam. “Come on, let’s keep going.”

They continued through the cave, the ceiling getting closer and closer to the ground to the point that Sam was worried he may have to turn back. However, they found a crevice to climb through and came to stand on a rocky shelf in front of a large cavern.

“Shit,” Sam muttered. “Let’s see…what to do?”

As Sam went around, looking for a way to cross, the movement of his flashlight caught Cassie’s eye.

“Hey, shine it over here,” she said, pointing at a section of the ground in front of the expanse.

Sam did so and quickly walked over, brushing away dust to reveal letters carved into it. Bending down, he examined them as best he could.

“I don’t recognize it,” Cassie muttered, leaning in close.

“Neither do I. But it’s reminiscent of the romance languages. Give me a second. I may be able to figure out what it says,” replied Sam.

He wrote in the dirt with his finger, brushing over the letters to erase them when he felt that he’d got it wrong. He went through several languages, doing his best to translate it. After a while though, he shook his head. “We need to just focus on getting across. This is a waste of time.”

“But what if it’s a clue? What if it’s Atlantian?” asked Cassie. “I mean, you’ve got something coherent here. ‘Walk on air. Worthy of place.’”

“It’s gibberish. We just need to find a ledge or a way to climb- _Cassie_!”

Sam’s arm shot out and grabbed onto Cassie but she didn’t jerk forward or out of his hand. Instead, her foot landed on something, far above the gaping expanse. Cassie was breathing heavily, looking down at basically nothing. Very slowly, she went down to her knees with Sam still carefully holding her hand. She felt against a solid surface despite the fact that Sam still couldn’t see anything.

“It’s glass.”

“What?” Sam slowly went forward, inching out over the nothingness. He felt it, shined the light downwards. Something was there, it felt smooth like glass, but he saw nothing. “What the hell?”

“We’re walking on air,” whispered Cassie. “And I’m guessing on the other side is the worthy place.”

“We’re looking for a way out. Not Atlantis,” Sam responded with a stern look.

“Well yeah but maybe we’ll…you know…find it on the way,” Cassie suggested.

“Shit, you’re as bad as I am,” muttered Sam. “Listen, just stay here and let me try to get across first. If it’s safe, then follow.”

Cassie nodded and backed onto the rock. Sam slowly let go of her hand. He jolted, half expecting to suddenly find himself falling, but he stayed still in midair. Slowly, he moved forward, testing the glass as he went until he jumped the last few feet onto the rock, letting out a shaky breath, thankful to be able to see the ground beneath him. Shining the flashlight back, he motioned for Cassie to follow. She kept her head held high and avoided looking down as much as possible as she inched out and towards Sam. Again, though it seemed stable enough, Sam was extra careful and grabbed Cassie, pulling her onto the rock for the last stretch.

“That’s done with,” muttered Sam. “Now hopefully we’ll figure a way out of here.”

“You don’t want that.”

“What makes you say that?”

Cassie pushed her glasses up and back into place as she replied, “This was a test. Leading to Atlantis. Wasn’t it?”

“Cassie our first—”

“How do you know?” she interrupted. “What were those clues that you were following?”

Sam gave her a hard look but she clearly wasn’t going to budge. He started to move forward as he said, “Supposedly the explorer that went to Atlantis, Himilco, had to pass several tests to be proved worthy of Atlantis. All that entered Atlantis had to pass them.”

“And Atlantis was considered a sacred place?” questioned Cassie.

“Yes,” sighed Sam.

“Then we’re almost definitely heading towards it.”

“Probably,” Sam muttered.

Cassie frowned. “You don’t sound that excited about it.”

“We’ve got a delusional woman after us and my husband is stuck in her hands. I’m a bit busy focusing on other things.”

“But you’ve both been in way worse situations. At least that’s what your stories have suggested,” Cassie replied.

“For one thing, I didn’t have a kid to look after.”

“Who was the one that expertly got the knife—”

“You did,” interrupted Sam, “but you’re still a child. You’re my brother’s kid. It doesn’t matter how capable you are. You’re my responsibility.”

“You would be more willing to take risks if it was just you and Rafe,” Cassie muttered.

“Yes, because we know how to get out of certain situations, how to hold ourselves. Our chances of getting hurt or killed are incredibly less than yours,” Sam responded. When Cassie still didn’t look convinced, he added, “Cassie, there’s one thing you need to know about treasure hunting, alright? It’s something that your father learned a long time ago. It’s something Rafe and I both learned with Avery’s treasure. Family is always the most important factor and losing your family is never worth any piece of gold.”

Cassie let out a soft sigh and bowed her head. “Yeah, I guess you’re right about that.”

“I am. Believe me, I almost made that mistake,” Sam said. He offered up his hand. “Now let’s try to find our way out of here.”

She took it and finally allowed a small smile. “Ok.”

* * *

 

Kemp had taken time to figure out which path to take, eventually deciding on the middle one. Rafe was dragged along as they continued on their current path until they came across a cave with two bridges. There was also a crevice that suggested another way to go but Kemp was currently focusing on writing that was carved into one of the cave walls.

“Bring him forward,” she said, gesturing towards Rafe.

He was shoved forward and up close to the inscriptions.

“What does it say?” Kemp asked.

Rafe glared at her before turning to the inscription. He didn’t recognize the language though it was reminiscent of the romance languages. With time, he might have been able to figure it out but it was difficult to say. Either way, it didn’t really matter. All he needed to do was make up some bullshit riddle and hopefully he’d send them to their death.


	4. Deeper Into the Abyss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thanks again for reading. Please enjoy :)

“The path of the righteous will become clear in the teachings of Atlantis,” Rafe easily lied. “In other words, we’re stuck here. Unless you got a book filled to the brim with knowledge about Atlantis.”

“Is that all it says?” hissed Kemp.

“Yes.”

She growled and started to pace back and forth. Then she suddenly pointed to one man. “Try the bridge on the right. Now!”

Rafe noted how all eyes turned to the singled out man. When he didn’t move right away forces started to shove him towards the bridge. He started to yell at them to stop and Rafe used the momentary distraction to inch away. He couldn’t go back the way he’d come without being obvious but the crevice seemed big enough for him to squeeze into. Hopefully it led to somewhere besides a dead end.

When the bridge gave and the man fell screaming to his death, Rafe scooted back again. Kemp ordered a man to go down the other bridge. Rafe got closer and closer to the crevice just as that bridge gave as well and the man fell to his death too. Rafe dived for the crevice but apparently people hadn’t been as focused on the bridges as Rafe had hoped. A gun went off and Rafe fell as he felt a bullet rip through the lower part of his left leg.

“Oh how clever Rafe! It seems you’ve found the ‘righteous’ path. You, go check it out,” Kemp said with a pointed finger.

As one man went to the crevice and started to push his way through, Rafe tried to stand but was shoved back to his knees.

“Really Rafe. Did you think it would be that simple?”

“Figured it was worth a shot,” Rafe replied before he had to clench his mouth shut and bite back a scream as Kemp stepped on his bullet wound.

“Hmm, seemed to have gone through. Lucky you,” murmured Kemp. “Someone come patch him up. Grono, you found anything in that crevice?”

“It opens up into another room!” the man called from the other side. “Tunnel continues on!”

“Perfect,” Kemp grinned. “Well done Rafe. Thank you for your help.”

Rafe bit back another cry as a different soldier roughly wrapped his leg up before grabbing him and pushing him towards the crevice.

* * *

 

Cassie and Sam moved as quickly as possible while still watching out for any areas that might have been unstable or dangerous. They’d gone through multiple terrains in the cave, sometimes heading in a more upwards path but overall going deeper into the Earth. Eventually they came to a stream running through the cave.

Sam bent down and tested the water. “Odd, it’s fresh water.”

“In a cave system under a small island in the middle of the ocean?” questioned Cassie.

“Sounds strange, I know. But if Atlantis really is around here, they would have needed some way to get fresh water,” Sam said. When Cassie went to bend down though, he quickly stopped her. “Don’t drink it. It’s only been two hours down here. We’ll only drink this if it’s absolutely necessary.”

“You just tasted it though.”

“For information,” Sam replied. “Remember your dad’s story about the Pillars of Ihram? For all we know, the location of Atlantis disappeared because of something similar to that.”

Cassie softly sighed. “Alright. But do you hear that noise? It sounds like it continues on for some ways and then drops off.”

“It does,” Sam agreed. “I’d say we should follow the opposite direction that it’s flowing in but there’s no opening that we could go through. That way, towards the noise, looks like its large enough for us to crawl through.”

“Let’s see what there’s to find then,” Cassie suggested.

Sam went first, heading into the next section of the cave systems, shoes moving through the small but quick stream. The area eventually opened up and Sam stepped out of the stream and to the side. The stream continued forwards until flowing down a half tube in what was an oddly smooth slope.

“This looks manmade,” Cassie said.

Sam nodded in agreement. “We should go back. Try to continue the way we were going.”

“Wait, what?”

“This is probably another challenge. And it’s heading even deeper down. We need to go up to get out,” Sam replied. He turned, ready to go back the way they’d come. However, that was a mistake as he immediately heard a cracking sound.

Spinning back, Cassie was already out of sight. Sam rushed forward and saw that she’d slid down all the way to the bottom. Cracks showed where she’d gone down. Sam started to follow but the slope suddenly gave out and he had to hang onto the rocky ledge he’d been on. He pulled himself up and back onto solid ground. From the way it looked, the entire slope would give under considerable pressure. Beneath the slope was a nothingness and the length was to great to jump.

“Cassie, stay there and I’ll figure out a way to you,” Sam called down. However, in his head he was saying every curse word under the sun as he tried to find some inscription. However, Cassie quickly called up to him.

“The inscription is down here!”

Shit, how was he supposed to get down? It would take to long, trying to get Cassie to describe the letters to him and then for him to start translating them. They were deep in the caves now with no food and an untrustworthy water source. They had limited time and needed to make it out of the cave system quickly.

Sam was brought out of his thought process as Cassie suddenly cried out, “There’s a door here!”

“What the hell? What do you mean a door?”

“Like a carved in door! I think if I push hard enough I’ll make it through,” she called back.

“Cassie just wait a second. We only got one flashlight. Don’t go into the darkness—”

“There’s light coming through the bottom of the door!” interrupted Cassie.

“What? How is that possible?”

“I don’t know but it’s blue!”

“Just stay there,” Sam said as he went to the nearest wall. “I think I just thought up a way to get across!”

Sam found footing in the rock wall and slowly started to climb his way across. There were several heart stopping moments where it broke under his footing but he finally made it across, dropped down, and hurried over to where Cassie stood. Shining the flashlight directly on the area, he saw what she’d been talking about. A door had been carved into the stone. Large and ornate with mostly unfamiliar symbols and lettering though a few Sam was pretty sure had been in Himilco’s journals. He really wished he had them or any form of paper and pencil at the moment.

Kneeling down, he tried to see what was on the other side but all he got was the blue light.

He returned his attention to the door and said, “I don’t think we’ll be able to push this open but we may be able to unlock it.”

“What do you mean?” asked Cassie.

“See these?” Sam said as he moved his hand over one of the carvings. He grabbed it and turned it. A click was heard and different bars inlaid in the stone moved. “It’s a puzzle.”

“So we’re going this way?” Cassie questioned. “Or are we going to try and get back to where we were before?”

Sam frowned and thought it through. There didn’t seem to be any other way back besides climbing around the slope and back up to the ledge. Even if that task wasn’t dangerous for Cassie, having the inscription near them suggested that going back the way they had come would continue to Atlantis. Or perhaps the slope had been a false challenge and the door was really it. Either way, for the moment, moving forward seemed the safer option.

“We’ll try this way,” Sam replied, moving the piece he’d moved back to its original resting place. “Now let’s try and think this through before we move anything else.”

* * *

 

Nate had kept in contact with Chloe and Charlie some. They met every once in a while, sent letters to each other and had the occasional phone call. But the days of asking favors of each other had long since passed. They had been kind enough to not try and drag him into anything and he hadn’t done the same. Remaining friends and leaving the business aspect behind.

But now he needed a favor as a friend. He called up Chloe first, his foot tapping incessantly as he waited for an answer. In all honesty, he didn’t expect one right away. Neither did he expect it from Cutter. They were like Sam and Rafe, still busy, still exploring, still out in the world getting into constant trouble. Yet instead he got both.

“Nathan, how are you?” asked Chloe.

“What’s going on mate?” Charlie questioned.

“If you’re willing, I need your help.”

Chloe let out a small snort. “What? Not interested in why we’re together?”

“Listen, we can joke about this some other time. Right now I need anyone who’s trustworthy at my side,” Nate replied.

“I thought you were out of this kind of trouble?” Charlie muttered, his voice having gone softer and more serious. “What do you need Nate?”

“Help. From both of you if possible. Cassie, and likely Sam and Rafe, are stuck in Capri in a cave system. At least that’s where they were last seen and heard from,” Nate replied.

“Oh shit,” muttered Chloe. “This has to do with Alicia Kemp, right?”

Nate rubbed at his eyes. “Exactly. Sully is there keeping an eye on the situation. He’s supposed to call if anything changes. Elena and I are already packed and headed that way now. We’ll probably get there in about ten hours. Can you help?”

“For the little darling?” Charlie questioned. “Anything. We can make it there in just under five hours.”

“Alright, call Sully so he knows to prepare for you. Elena and I will be there as soon as we can.”

“No problem Nate. We’ll see you there,” Chloe replied before hanging up.

Nate allowed himself a small sigh of relief before turning to Elena. “They’ll be there. Sully called recently?”

“No,” Elena replied. “Still nothing. I’m guessing everyone is still underground unless they’ve popped up somewhere else.”

“Then let’s just hurry and get our flight over there,” Nate replied, though he made sure to take a second to reach out and squeeze Elena’s hand. The action was as much for her as for himself.

* * *

 

With a final click, the door slowly moved open and soft, glowing blue light began to illuminate everything. Sam only had to blink a few times to get his eyes to adjust to the softer tones and he quickly turned off the flashlight to balance everything out.

It was another tunnel but instead of being uneven and unpredictable, this one had been purposely carved, in both its shape and the indentions on the walls. Little holes had been drilled through the edges of the ceiling and the floor where light streams of water ran down, having created grooves in the rock. On those sections sat large clumps of algae that produced the glow. They were larger than any form Sam had seen and he couldn’t help but look at them with wonder as he stared down it.

Sam couldn’t see to the end of the passageway but from what he could tell, it continued straight for a considerable way. Still, the algae’s light wasn’t that strong and it was difficult to tell what they could be led to.

“Please tell me we’re going down this,” Cassie all but begged.

Sam looked back towards the unstable ground and the only alternative, rock climbing over walls that had already proved to be slightly unstable. Looking back ahead, he focused on the ground and carefully felt around to make sure nothing would give way or set off a weapon.

“I know it may seem like it, but we’re not in the _Last Crusade_ ,” Cassie said.

Sam rolled his eyes. “Hush. Was just making sure. Seems safe enough though. I think it best if we go this way.”

Cassie couldn’t help the smirk that appeared on her face. Still, she moved cautiously and kept her eyes wide. At least there was the effort to be ready for anything even if it might not help.

Sam looked at the walls as he passed, hoping to find something familiar or to at least spot something that might be text, just in case another challenge or some trap needed to be avoided. The blue algae was enough for them to see but Sam occasionally still brought out his flashlight to illuminate certain areas and to make the old carvings more clear.

They walked down the passage with the only sound being their footsteps and the soft noise of the water streaming down the walls. Sam stayed slightly ahead just in case something happened but he paused when a noise was heard. Putting up his hand, Cassie slowed to a stop and they listened for the noise again.

Something akin to an animalistic growl was heard and it had Sam taking a step back.

“What could live down here?” whispered Cassie.

“Besides bugs I have no idea,” muttered Sam. Now what to do? He had the gun but that had limited shots and depending on what had made that noise, the knife might not go very far. But if they went back, then all this would have been a waste of time. Actually, had the noise come from ahead or behind? He assumed it was from ahead but in all honesty the noise had echoed around with no hint as to where its origin was.

Forward or back? If by himself, he would have dived into the unknown but he had Cassie with him now. Which way was safer? Was standing here trying to decide just a waste of time or was there a right answer? Suddenly, he felt a rush of air and he spun around just in time to see a hidden wall silently sliding shut.

And Cassie was gone.

Sam rushed forward and dug his fingernails into the stone, tried to pull it back out but it moved into place like it had never opened up to begin with. He kicked and ran at the wall shoulder first. His nails became cracked and red as he tried to force the door open. His voice went raw as he screamed Cassie’s name, the sound echoing against the stone walls and through the caves.


	5. Not What They Seem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thank you again. So sorry for the last cliffhanger haha. Hopefully this appeases you <3

Rafe had tried to get away two more times. He’d nearly done it as well, timing it as best as he could, using all his force and strength to get away. But the bullet wound in his leg was taking a toll and now he had even more cuts and bruises for his troubles. Still, Rafe would have to be immobilized or killed before he stopped.

Kemp and her men had continued to radio back and forth but so far none of her men that were in other sections of the caverns had encountered Sam or Cassie. Rafe wanted to believe that was a good thing but what with how complex the cave systems were becoming, getting lost would have been easy. He wondered where they were, if they were managing to get out of the caves or going deeper and deeper.

He’d lost track of time and it was difficult to say how long they’d been moving forward. However, even Rafe had to admit they were headed for something bigger than another clue. Whether it was Atlantis or not was hard to say but it was definitely a civilization he’d never heard of or seen. The caves started to appear less natural, clearly forced into certain shapes by hands centuries ago.

Rafe didn’t know how long it would take to reach what all this was leading to, but he knew his time to get away was running short. His main reason for getting away was to find Sam and Cassie, to protect them and have all of them get out of this blasted system. But he didn’t exactly enjoy the idea of becoming a human sacrifice as Kemp was so dead set on either.

She’d talked more and more about the stupid stone, about what it brought and what it would bring and how wonderful it was all going to be. It made Rafe sick and that much more desperate to get away. Alicia Kemp had always been an unstable person to partner up with, no matter the subject, yet Rafe had never realized just how far off the deep end she’d gone.

He didn’t believe in what she was trying to accomplice but she did and that alone was terrifying. And Rafe hadn’t been truly shaken like this in a long time. The last time had been during Avery’s treasure. He’d been terrified of losing, of failing in the one thing that had been earned by himself. And in the final moments that fear had shifted to Sam, to that bone crushing reality that he’d screwed everything up (granted Sam had done some shitty things as well but at that moment Rafe had centered around every mistake he had made) and then he’d nearly let himself die. He’d nearly allowed himself to remain in the burning ship and end it all because was it worth it? Was he worth it?

Now he was terrified of losing Sam again. Of having him die alone and in the middle of cave system never to be found again. He was terrified of losing Cassie, his niece, that bright spark that really had changed how he saw the world. She was only thirteen, still so young, still with so much to explore in the world, and now she might die in these caves.

But it was that fear of losing them that had Rafe continuing to push forward, continuing to try and get away and get to them and protect them. It was what led to Kemp slapping him, shoving him down and digging into his bullet wound, punching him in the stomach and kicking him in the face. And yet he still tried. And then they started to cross another challenge. Rafe had tried to push himself away again.

This time it did succeed but not in the way he’d hoped.

He fell downwards, hit a slope, and then slid over rocks and through wet, muddy patches. Pain shot through him, particularly through the right leg where he was pretty sure he’d broken it. He could hear noises but nothing was filtering in properly. Above him was the barest prick of flashlights moving about and shining down at him.

He couldn’t bring himself to say a word, to move, as everything ached. Then he suddenly felt something grab him, something that was wet and slimy and not quite human. It grabbed his right leg and started to pull him deeper into the darkness.

Rafe let out one hard scream before the pain was to much and he passed out.

* * *

 

Cassie had simply been standing behind her uncle, trying to figure out what the noise could have been, when something had wrapped around her nose and mouth. She hadn’t been able to make a single sound and shock had hit her so she didn’t start struggling until it was to late and she was pulled behind a hidden door and into darkness.

From there, she finally started to struggle, to fight back, but whatever had her was to strong. Her heart pounded in her chest as she tried to cry out but as the creature had her mouth and nose covered, she quickly found her lungs burning for air as well. She was getting dizzy, growing weaker. If she had been able to see anything, her vision probably would have started to warp by that point as she felt her limbs grow weak.

But before she could pass out, suddenly the hand was removed and Cassie was gasping for air. The thing was still carrying her but it was moving more smoothly, almost gently now. She started to struggle again but this time the thing put her down and odd noises came from it. It might have been nothing but animalistic noises or an actual language. If it was the latter, Cassie couldn’t distinguish between the words.

She could feel its presence retreating but Cassie wasn’t sure what to do as only darkness surrounded her. She tentatively reached out with her hands but could feel nothing.

Suddenly light from behind her appeared though, flickering and moving over the stone in front of her. She was in a dome like room with carvings similar to those from that tunnel. She didn’t see any other obvious exits and being unable to make sense of the carvings, it left her the only option of turning around.

If she had been with someone, she wouldn’t have admitted it. But seeing as she was alone and only thinking, she had to admit she was terrified. She had no idea who or what had grabbed her or why. Yet, even with it being her only option, she knew her father and mother and uncles wouldn’t have shied away. They would have wanted to know what was there. And so did she.

Besides, whoever it was hadn’t taken her knife and she quickly took hold of it with a death grip before turning around.

What she saw almost had her dropping that knife but Cassie managed to keep hold of it, even if she was shaking. Her other hand went to her mouth, covering up a scream that almost left her. Suddenly, she didn’t doubt a single one of her father’s stories.

On the wall was a torch that had been lit, the blue fire softly glowing and flickering there. By it was the only exit Cassie could see and in front of that exit was a creature. Its skin glistened in the fire, shiny with little drops of water falling from its person. Its form was similar to a human’s, two arms, two legs. But it was hunched over and its face looked closer to a monkey’s. Its feet were webbed and gills softly fluttered on its sides. Its nude form suggested a female.

Just then, its mouth moved and Cassie decided that it was to exact and carefully done that the noises had to be words. It was trying to talk to her. But Cassie had no idea what it was saying. Still, she couldn’t help the obligatory question of, “What are you?” to escape her mouth.

The creature cocked its head curiously, made more noises, but Cassie just shook her head. When it took a step forward though, Cassie quickly brandished her knife again. It understood that and stopped, shaking its head. It moved its arms in a rocking manner.

“I don’t…I don’t understand,” Cassie whispered.

The creature repeated itself and started to move closer. Again, Cassie tightened her grip on the knife so it stopped. It bent down and smoothed the dirt on the ground and started to move through it with one of its fingers. When done, it sat back on its haunches and waited.

Cassie slowly approached, knowing that making it for the exit would have failed and it was unlikely she could take on the creature.

Moving forward, she saw that the creature had written in the same form the instructions for the challenges had been written in.

“I can’t…I don’t understand,” she said again. “I can’t read it.”

The creature smoothed the writing away and started to go again. However, instead of writing, it started to draw simplistic figures. There were three of them, one shorter than the others. One of the taller figures looked to be protecting the smaller figure. The creature pointed to the small figure and then to Cassie. Then it pointed to the figure protecting the smaller one and then pointed to itself. Then it rocked its arms again.

“Pro-protecting me? Wait, you think you’re protecting me,” Cassie muttered, shock clear in her eyes.

The creature started to draw next to the picture. It drew multiple figures. Assuming that it was referring to Alicia Kemp and her men, then Cassie would have guessed the extension on their backs were the assault rifles and packs that some of the men had been carrying.

Suddenly she jumped back as the creature slammed its hand down on the group. It scratched them out and said some word. Then it pointed to the figure it was protecting Cassie from in the other picture and drew a line to the messed up drawing of the group.

Cassie shook her head though. “They…they’re bad men. Bad,” she quickly agreed mimicking the creature’s actions with the other picture. She then pointed back to the other picture and to the figure she was beginning to guess was Uncle Sam. “Not bad. Not a bad man.” She shook her head and erased the line connecting the two. She then redrew two figures holding hands and showed that they represented the figure and her. “He’s a friend. Good. Not bad.”

Cassie then mimicked the cradling act the creature had done before. “Friend,” she repeated.

A look of understanding seemed to come to the creature. It said several words and did a quick bow of its head. It stood up and walked back towards the exit.

“I need to get back to him,” Cassie quickly said. She motioned her hands coming together. “I need to find him again.”

The creature nodded and picked up the torch. It seemed to understand that she couldn’t see in the dark and motioned for her to follow. She slowly did just that, still keeping her knife with her but her grip had eased somewhat. Whatever it was, it seemed to understand that Kemp and her people weren’t good. Whether it fully understood her goal or simply felt threatened, it did understand that Cassie did not stand with them and was not a threat.

Slowly, she followed it but it quickly became obvious they weren’t going back to the tunnel from before. It was taking to long.

“My friend. The person from before. You’ll take me back to him, right?” she tried.

It simply motioned for her to follow again and continued on its path. They went through more clearly carved tunnels, going through twists and turns, until they made their way into a place that wasn’t cold and dead like everywhere else. It was a large room with pots and chests lying about. What seemed to be beds lined the room with rotting wood and clothes. Off to one side were more of the creatures. Cassie jolted, shocked to see more. There were seven in total.

Though their limited communication had suggested it didn’t want to hurt her, Cassie stopped at the entrance to the room and flaunted her knife again. “Why am I here? Why?”

The other creatures momentarily turned to her but then focused back on whatever they were surrounding. From just a quick look, it seemed that there were four female creatures and three males. They all had slight variations in height and width and coloring.

The one that had brought Cassie there started motioning again. It did stitching motions and then acted like it was wrapping up its arm.

“An infirmary? A hospital?” Cassie asked. She made a quick cutting motion on her arm and then pretended to patch it up.

The creature nodded.

“Why am I here? I need to get back to Sam. Friend.” Cassie made the cradling motion.

The creature nodded and repeated that motion. Then it pointed towards the other creatures.

“Wait he’s…he’s here?” Cassie took several steps forward. The creature backed up respectfully, trying to show that she was free to move forward.

She was so tempted to run towards the creatures but instead she inched forward, cautious of them and why this was exactly happening. Was Sam really there? If so, why? What had happened to him in the short time they’d been parted?

The creatures looked up as she got closer and then moved to the side, revealing what was there in front of them.

“Rafe!”

Cassie rushed forward the last few feet and grabbed hold of him. For a few split seconds, she had that deep seated feeling of horror take her as she wondered if the creatures had done this to him. However, she realized there were what seemed to be bandages over the wounds and a splint on his right leg. Looking up, the creature that had brought her there did the wrapping motion again.

The tension in Cassie finally eased from her shoulders. She took hold of her uncle’s hand and brushed his hair out of his face. It didn’t matter that the creatures probably didn’t understand her. She had to say it anyways.

“Thank you.”

However, though she was grateful to know Rafe was out of Kemp’s hands and with her again, there was still the matter of the other uncle to find now.


	6. Creatures in the Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The usual big thank you goes out to everyone reading this. Thank you and please enjoy!

Sully had parked the plane in a port closer to Italy so as not to draw suspicion and had taken a boat back to Capri. After Chloe and Cutter called, they made arrangements to meet and Sully waited there, keeping an eye on Kemp’s ship and the men milling about it. They hadn’t made any moves, mostly relaxing and occasionally pulling up walkie-talkies but nothing ever changed like they’d received different orders.

Once Chloe and Cutter got there, Sully quickly caught them up on any other details they needed to know.

“So we got no idea what’s down there or how extensive the cave really is?” questioned Charlie.

“Sadly no so we really only got this one entrance to watch though there could be others,” Sully replied.

Chloe hummed softly and curiously looked at Kemp’s ship in the distance. “They may have more information. I say we take out the ship. Once we’ve got that area covered, we can work our way to take over the entrance to the caves. Should keep us busy before Nathan and Elena come.”

Sully let out a quick snort. “And exactly how do you plan on that? I got a binocular. What exactly did you guys bring?”

“Oh, just some toys,” Chloe said with a smirk.

“That could probably raise a little hell,” Charlie put in.

Sully just rolled his eyes. “Show me what you got.”

* * *

 

The explosion of pain that had caused Rafe to pass out had subsided when he started to come to. Instead, there was a terrifying feeling of numbness, like a fog was in between him and his ability to connect with his senses.

He tried to move and open his eyes but he couldn’t tell if he was doing it or not. He was almost positive that he wasn’t dead though. He at least had that.

Rafe remained there as feelings slowly came back, as he slowly began to be able to distinguish sounds and smells and everything else. And then a voice finally came in. A voice that Rafe had been waiting to hear.

“Cassie,” he whispered. Finally his voice was coming to him. “Cassandra.”

“Hey Rafe.”

He blinked a few more times until his eyes started to clear and he was able to focus on the face above him.

“They caught…they caught you again? They have—”

“No, we’re safe,” she said quickly. “You’re all patched up too.”

“How?” murmured Rafe.

“Uh, I found some…supplies. Sort of,” Cassie tried. “Woah, don’t sit up yet.”

Rafe ignored her and did just that. A sort of fire seemed to burn through both his legs though in different ways. The bandage that had been put on the bullet wound by Kemp’s men had been replaced with something else, the feel and color unfamiliar. His right leg had a splint against it.

“When the hell did Nathan teach you to make a splint?” muttered Rafe as he steadied himself, allowing the pain to ease off before he chanced moving again.

He focused on Cassie’s face for the moment and the way she wouldn’t quite look him in the eyes. “You know my dad. Never can be to prepared.”

“Cassie, what is it you’re not telling me?” asked Rafe. He slowly moved to be sitting up, moving his legs over the edge of whatever he had been laying on. As he waited for the pain to subside again, he finally looked around. “What the fuck?”

“Language.”

He snorted and shook his head. “The fire’s blue.” It was an odd factor but probably not the strangest thing he could have commented on. He shook his head again, trying to clear it. “Where are we?”

“An infirmary,” Cassie replied. “I think.”

“You sounded pretty sure,” muttered Rafe with a pointed look.

“Well, that or barracks,” she quickly said. However, it was obvious that it was the quickest bullshit answer she could think of that might make sense.

Rafe focused on taking in his surroundings though, looking at the torches with blue flames, the scattered remnants of cloths and pieces of wood and clay. He tried to stand up but Cassie pushed him back down.

“Not yet. You should rest a little longer.”

“Rest? We are god knows where, stuck in this cave for who knows how long, and we should rest? We need to move as quickly as possible, find Sam, and get out as soon as possible,” Rafe responded. This time he did get up but pain wracked his body enough that he froze in place after the first step.

“But we need to wait,” Cassie said quickly as she urged him to sit again. “Sam’s coming.”

“How the hell is Sam coming? Cassandra Drake just tell me what the hell is going on.”

Cassie gulped. “You wouldn’t believe me if I did.”

“How about you try?” grumbled Rafe as he finally accepted the fact he wouldn’t get far in the state he was in. He eased back down. “Like how the hell did I get here? No way did you drag me all the way here.”

“No…I didn’t,” Cassie slowly agreed.

“Then who? Sam?”

“No. He doesn’t know we’re here.”

“Then how the hell could he—” Rafe stopped himself to breathe deeply through his nose as he closed his eyes and slowly counted to ten. “I’m sorry,” he finally said. “I shouldn’t yell at you. I just…I really need a straight answer right now.”

“Sam should be here soon,” Cassie simply replied. “And when he does, I’ll be able to explain what’s going on. Ok? Please just rest for now. You need it.”

Rafe softly sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Fine. For a moment then. But I expect answers soon.” When she nodded, Rafe quickly grabbed her and held her close, simply thankful that he had that chance again.

* * *

 

Losing Rafe had been a bigger blow than expected for Kemp. Now they didn’t have someone who could easily take them through the challenges. Nevertheless, she had plenty of expendable men and she’d picked them well. Not paying them but paying for terminal children, homeless family members, and the like. It made them willing to do most of anything, knowing a loved one was taken care of.

Test subjects had to be used then instead of properly figuring out the clues but that mattered little to Kemp. They were making good time and it was clear they were drawing closer to Atlantis. She’d probably have to use her men for sacrifices, or maybe just have someone kidnap the people of Capri, but either way she was getting near to the end and she couldn’t help but lick her lips excitedly over it.

* * *

 

Sam needed a cigarette.

It was a small factor, one that didn’t really matter, a problem that was more a nuisance than anything. Yet he couldn’t help but that his mind fixated on it. He’d lost Cassie to some unknown enemy, Rafe was trapped with Kemp if he was even still alive, and he was lost in the tunnels, not having a clue of how to proceed.

In situations similar to this, he always had something. A tether to follow, a journal filled with notes, pre-learned knowledge that helped him in the current situation. Yet for the moment he had nothing but a flashlight and a gun.

Maybe he was going into shock. Maybe that was why his brain didn’t seem to be working right. Why he was so stuck on getting a cigarette more than anything else. Cassie had disappeared right from under his nose. Just up and gone. His mind wasn’t able to comprehend it because he couldn’t figure out a reason for it. What had grabbed Cassie?

Sam continued on down the tunnel. After making his fingers raw and red, he’d had to move, to feel like he was doing something. He walked down the tunnel and had eventually changed his path, going deeper and deeper in search of Cassie.

And then he felt it. Just a slight shift in the air. He was even more on edge and pulled out his gun without a second thought. Yet what was behind him moved faster, knocking the gun out of his hand and shoving him against the wall. Sam hit his head hard. He blinked rapidly to clear his vision and looked up at his attacker though he quickly wished he hadn’t.

All air seemed to leave his lungs as he stared into the faces of monsters. After everything that had happened, he wasn’t sure he could handle this. He was afraid he might pass out. But then one of the monsters dropped something in front of him and it was like it was the only thing Sam could focus on. It was one of Cassie’s bracelets.

He took it with shaking hands. Sam was having trouble breathing again. “Cassie…what did you do to her?! What did you—”

But before he could push farther he was shoved back against the wall as one of the creatures roared in his face. Again, Sam felt like his heart would stop. He would have tried to escape but there were to many of them and he didn’t doubt that they could rip him apart in seconds. He thought they would anyways but instead one started to start making motions towards him. It took Sam a second to understand that the creature was trying to communicate.

Sam couldn’t understand though. The motions didn’t make sense. He couldn’t concentrate, his mind continuously going back to Cassie and what could have happened to her.

Then the creature started to talk, at least Sam assumed that. It talked to the other creatures and they were quickly grabbing him and dragging him off, leaving the gun and flashlight behind. Sam struggled and fought as best he could, the noises echoing against the walls. The monsters were abnormally strong though and Sam didn’t have a chance.

They went through areas that didn’t have any light that had Sam quickly loosing track of where he was going. It seemed that the creatures could see in the dark and Sam wondered what exactly that inky blackness held. Before any horrific idea as to what was happening could become concrete though, he was being shoved into a large room. He didn’t take in any of the details though as he spotted Cassie and Rafe.

The moment the creatures let go he was running until he was wrapped around them again, holding them close and as tightly as possible. It was only when he pulled back though that he realized Rafe’s look of terror over his shoulder. It was then that Sam remembered that they weren’t alone and he quickly stood up and got in a wide stance in front of Rafe and Cassie. However, before he could say anything, Cassie slipped out from around him.

“Cassie don’t—”

“It’s alright. They’re friends,” Cassie responded. “And they’re who grabbed you and patched you up Rafe.”

Sam noted how Rafe started to stand and he quickly supported Rafe though both of their eyes were still locked on the creatures. Eventually, Sam managed to drag his eyes from the creatures back to Cassie. “How do you know?” he asked softly, fear gripping him tightly as he wondered if he’d got them back to only lose them again.

However, Cassie said, “We’ve been communicating. Sort of.”

“Do you know what they are?” whispered Rafe. His grip was ironclad on Sam, holding on for both physical and mental support.

“I mean, the communication isn’t great but I think they’re Altantians. Were…Atlantians,” Cassie replied. She motioned at the creatures to come forward.

Sam couldn’t help but flinch and he could feel Rafe stiffening by him to. He wanted to just grab Cassie and put her under his arm and keep her there but she was the only one that seemed completely comfortable in the situation. Looking at the creatures, she pointed to Sam and Rafe and said their names. Then she pointed to herself and gave an encouraging nod.

One creature nodded and actually said, “Cassie,” though its tone and accent was unlike anything Sam had heard. Then it pointed to itself. “Mqley.” Each creature then repeated the motion. “Jkna.” “Cwalin.” “Nalaqk.” “Mlorh.” “Aabnor.” “Flcor.”

The one called Mqley put its hands over its heart, or where Sam assumed a heart was. Then it motioned towards Sam and Rafe and made a rocking motion.

“We’ve established that means safe and protect,” Cassie quickly said. “They know we’re different from Kemp’s men.”

“You say they’re the Atlantians,” Sam murmured, his eyes shifting between the creatures and Cassie and back again. “How did they get like this?”

“From what I can understand, something transformed them,” Cassie said. When Mqley made a noise, Cassie made motions like opening up a book and reading. She then pointed to Rafe and Sam. “Explaining. I’m explaining to them. Telling your story,” she said, making motions from her mouth. She turned back to her uncles. “They were chosen, don’t know if it was willing or not, but to protect Atlantis after its fall. Some type of catastrophe hit, not sure what or how, but the city sunk and the people died. But these men and women were chosen to protect it.”

“This is insane,” muttered Rafe. He gulped and then he was suddenly dropping his head and grounding his teeth together. “Shit… _shit_!”

The creatures went slightly on edge at his yelling but they didn’t act as Cassie put her hand up.

“Rafe, what’s the matter?” Sam asked.

Covering his face with one hand before dropping it in defeat, he growled out, “I’m only about forty percent sure I’m not hallucinating all this. But if this is real…then the fucking stone probably is to! Maybe it’s not the same as what Alicia is after but something had to have done all this and Alicia is going to go after it and…fuck!”

“The creatures just want to protect their city,” Cassie quickly said. “We can’t let Kemp and her men destroy the city or whatever has been protecting it.”

“Where the hell even is the city?” asked Sam.

Cassie started motioning at the creatures before leaning on the ground and drawing in the dirt. The creature drew back and responded to her drawings as Sam and Rafe watched in amazement as something seemed to actually pass between them.

“I really hope I wake up and find this was all a dream,” muttered Sam. “But if it’s not, it’ll make one hell of a story.”


	7. Beneath the Waves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all reading again :)

Rafe was following seven cursed Atlantians towards Atlantis with his husband and niece in the hopes of getting there before a delusional madman and her army. He’d seen a lot of shit in his life but this was definitely testing his limitations on what he believed. He’d tried to walk and though the shot leg could take it, putting pressure on the broken one sent enough pain through his body to make him nearly pass out again. Now he clung to Sam’s back, each step sending more pain through him as they moved through different pathways and tunnels. Two of the creatures held torches so that he and Sam and Cassie could see.

And then after another turn in the caves, a pinprick of light could be seen. Drawing closer, Rafe again had to rework what he knew. The opening went into the dark ocean. It rolled and moved and yet stayed where it was, not flooding the caves. Six of the Atlantians moved forward and as they passed into the water, they disappeared from view. One of them stayed behind though and gave encouraging motions for them to continue forward.

“We have no idea what’s beyond that Cassie,” whispered Sam.

She shook her head though. “If they wanted to kill us, they could have easily done so. They’ve only helped us and been kind though.”

Rafe eased off Sam’s back, carefully putting his feet back on the ground. “I’ll go first.”

Sam quickly shook his head. “No you stay—”

“If this is a trick or something, you’ll be able to protect her. I’m in no shape to do any heroics,” muttered Rafe. He kissed Sam quickly and then limped towards the ocean.

He stuck his hand in first and it was incredibly unnerving to suddenly see it disappear. Yet he didn’t get sucked in and his hand didn’t feel wet on the other end. He carefully limped forward until his face passed the wall of water. There was a moment of cold that passed over him as he simply saw the dark ocean when a split second later, the entire place lit up and he gaped at what he saw.

When thinking of finding Atlantis, Rafe’s mind had been filled with ruins and coral covered buildings. Instead, he looked at a still holy intact city. On the edge, the buildings were smaller and more simplistic until growing to the epicenter of the city. Looking above, he saw the dark ocean with just barely visible streams of light coming down. The city had lamps everywhere, ablaze with that blue fire again. Rafe didn’t realize he was still standing so close to the entrance until he felt Sam’s chest bump into him. Rafe shakily reached behind and grabbed Sam’s hand, squeezing tightly.

Sam and Cassie had that same look of shock and wonder and all three just stared until the Atlantian pushed past and gestured for them to follow.

Sam hoisted Rafe up again as they slowly made their way through the city. There were things scattered about, like everyone had left in one giant flood. Bags and boxes and clothes and coins and tools and toys, still in perfect condition, simply left behind. It was incredibly eerie, made more so by the blue light that shined upon everything.

They made it through the streets, all which went up and towards the center. The building that sat there was large with a round roof and almost looked like a cathedral of sorts. There was one large opening, far higher than was needed for Rafe and his family or the creatures. Still, the Atlantians opened it with ease and they slowly moved into a large, rotund room. Curved seats had been carved out of the floor surrounding a central creation that showcased what was likely keeping Atlantis alive for all these years.

The stone was large, about as big as Rafe’s own head. It wasn’t a gem, just a rock. It seemed to admit an odd glow that pulled one in. Yet Rafe’s eyes slid off it and started to focus on what was behind it. He eased back onto his feet though he continued to keep a tight grip on Sam to steady himself. There were paintings on the walls, all the way around the building.

Suddenly an Atlantian started talking again. Rafe looked over and saw that it was making similar motions to what Cassie had done when trying to get the point across that she was retelling they’re story. Then it pointed at the paintings. It made brushing strokes and then pointed at itself.

“You painted them?” asked Sam.

Rafe let out a small snort. “They’re not going to understand.”

“I can’t help it alright? Just about any language in the world I can somewhat follow along with. It’s weird not being able to coherently talk,” muttered Sam with a little nudge. His eyes had moved to the paintings too though. The stone, however fantastic it was, simply wasn’t comprehensible. But the paintings, the paintings they could understand. “It’s their story.”

Rafe spun around until he found the starting point. It depicted Atlantis above water, an island with people and full of life. Supposedly, Atlantis existed some time in the 9000th millennium B.C. Yet the pictures made it look closer to the eighth century B.C. era. If Rafe had his facts right, Atlantis had been centuries before its time.

The pictures made Atlantis seem peaceful. There were no soldiers in the images, none that Rafe could pick out. But then the image shifted, depicting swarms of more primitive people invading the city. Whether Atlantis had been a truly just civilization or not, Rafe couldn’t tell for sure. But he knew humans and if the humans surrounding Atlantis had found out about the stone and the power it held, they likely would have wanted it for themselves out of greed and jealousy.

The pictures showed some people fleeing the city, others being dragged out and beaten. And then it shifted to a painting of the inside of the very building they stood in. Eight figures stood around the stone and the paintings showed the transformation, how a force pushed all those remaining in Atlantis out, only for the great city to sink beneath the ocean.

“There were eight of you.” Rafe said.

The creatures gave him curious looks.

“Shit, it is hard,” muttered Rafe as Sam let out a slight snort. Rafe quickly showed his fingers. “Eight. See?” He pointed at the picture and then showed seven fingers, pointing at the Atlantians.

Understanding seemed to pass upon their faces and they started to move again. Cassie eagerly followed them, the entire time her face alight with wonder and pure curiosity. Rafe wished he could keep that look but he was in to much pain and couldn’t forget the fact that Kemp was still out there. He wanted to just stay and learn and explore but they didn’t exactly have that luxury.

Still, they followed the Atlantians to a door that Rafe hadn’t even realized was there. It had been positioned so that at most angles it just looked to be part of the wall. They moved through it and down curricular stairs that wrapped round and round. There were no pre-lit torches there except for the ones that two of the creatures carried.

Rafe began to curse whoever had invented stairs, each movement jarring by the time they reached the bottom. Once there, Rafe saw that they had descended into a tomb. The coffin was encased in glass and looking into it, Rafe couldn’t help but jump with shock. He’d honestly expected one of the fish creatures but instead got a human.

Definitely an early human, far shorter than people today and with a mix of features that would have been uncommon now. He was dressed in what Rafe could only assume were ceremonial robes and honestly didn’t even look dead except for the bullet hole in his chest.

“He died sometime in the 1910s,” Sam suddenly spoke.

Rafe frowned. “How the hell is that possible?”

“I don’t know. Hell, that could be wrong,” Sam replied, pointing towards an engraved calendar that marked the Atlantian’s death. “But something tells me if we dug around in that chest we wouldn’t get a twenty-first century bullet.”

Shaking his head, Rafe didn’t know why he was trying to make sense of this. After everything, there didn’t seem much point except to let what happened happen. Though again, they didn’t really have the time to understand, to figure out why the dead Atlantian had presumably transformed back to human, how the body still looked fresh and alive after dying in possibly the 1910s, or what the hell that stone was and what it did.

“Alright, you’ve shown us the place. We get why all this is important and why we need to keep it from Kemp. But exactly—fuck. I keep forgetting you can’t really understand us,” growled Rafe.

Cassie stepped in though, using their already established symbols for phrases and ideas. She pointed to the Atlantians and then made a cradling motion. She repeated it several times, like she intended to cradle the Atlantians. They seemed to get the message though and moved the two torches to two places on the wall, the light reaching farther and illuminating more of the burial place.

Looking around, it seemed like the room hadn’t always been a grave, or at least not originally intended to be one. It also worked as a map of the city.

Communication started to slowly go back and forth. Cassie was the best at it as there were already patterns they’d gotten into but there were still plenty of moments they had to back up and try to rephrase what they were talking about.

Eventually, it became clear why they had needed them. Technically they had needed one but out of the goodness of their hearts, if they even still had that organ, they’d helped them all, being able to tell that Kemp was as much a threat to them as she was to Atlantis. The reason they needed one though was because there was a process to completely shut off Atlantis, to make it so contact with the outside world would remain impossible for the end of time.

Rafe wasn’t sure why they hadn’t done that before, perhaps even in their state they still craved other interactions besides themselves. However, what with the worlds ever growing technology and the fact that they seemed to understand Kemp had the upper hand, it was time to finally cover up Atlantis for good. Of course there was a horrid irony in that and Rafe was reminded of how every single one of Nathan’s lost cities had to be destroyed or lost again in the process.

And maybe if the choice was simply between saving the world and the city, Rafe might have been selfish enough to say screw everyone else. But ultimately, this decision was between saving his family or not and after everything he had been through simply to get to that point, he wasn’t going to let it go again. He’d do whatever he could to keep Kemp from that stone and from ever laying eyes on Atlantis.

It was difficult to say if the Atlantians would be able to leave Atlantis once it was closed off for good, if there was a way they could leave without trapping themselves forever. Communication had been extremely confusing on that. But it was clear why they couldn’t close off the city by themselves.

Eight were needed to be positioned around the city at the same time, to activate these switches that would shut it all down. There was a switch near the entrance they had come in where the creatures seemed to think one of them should be placed. They seemed to believe that closing off Atlantis wouldn’t happen immediately. That whoever took that eighth spot would have time to get out.

Rafe argued about it with Sam, about how they couldn’t risk it and who should risk it and what exactly they should do.

But it seemed to be the only choice. The only one that would assure Kemp never got the stone.

He still didn’t want Sam to do it yet they wouldn’t have dared to put Cassie in that position and Rafe knew he wouldn’t have been able to move fast enough. Sam was the logical choice but that didn’t make it any easier.

The creatures showed them what needed to be done, allowing them to see more of the city that would soon disappear again. Before the process would begin to take place, one of the creatures came forward with several objects in its webbed hand.

It slipped the object over Cassie’s head first and then Rafe’s and Sam’s. They were small stones, engraved with a symbol that had been present throughout the city, likely a symbol for Atlantis. The creature said a word and all the others repeated it. Rafe had no idea what it meant but he knew that whatever they said held great meaning.

The creatures then gave them a torch and then dispersed, heading to their positions around the city. Rafe grabbed hold of Sam and kissed him hard and deep.

“You don’t have a choice, got it? You’re coming back.”

“Yes sir,” Sam responded with a small smirk. However, his eyes carried the weight of that promise. He kissed Rafe back before giving Cassie a quick hug. “Don’t worry. I’ll be right behind you.”

Cassie then looped an arm around Rafe. He tried to put as little weight as he could on her but it was difficult. He’d probably been moving far to much than he should have and his broken leg was starting to lose feeling in a few areas which probably wasn’t a good sign.

Together, Cassie and Rafe passed through the water and were back inside the caves. They had the torch with them so they could see the way and waited by the entrance. Rafe used the wall as support, leaning against it as seconds began to tick by. With each passing, Rafe felt like his heart was slowing that much more. He felt like his lungs were going to give out any second. Every bad outcome came to mind.

And then the cave started to grow. Started to grow and block out the water, make it like it had never been there and there was still no sign of Sam and Rafe could feel Cassie starting to strain against him and he couldn’t let go because he couldn’t lose her but he couldn’t lose Sam and he didn’t know what to do and—

At the last second, Sam came tumbling through, hitting the ground hard and out of breath. He was drenched all over, certainly an oddity, but Rafe didn’t care and didn’t mention it. He simply collapsed next to him and held him tight, thankful that they all were alive.


	8. Guns and Rushing Water

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm awful for doing this so don't worry. I'll save you the trouble for calling me a piece of shit cause I already know I am one. So "enjoy" this chapter and (just because I do feel awful) the next chapter will be up tomorrow instead of the day afterwards.

When the sun had gone low, Chloe, Charlie, and Sully took control of Kemp’s ship. Chloe had been right, she did have plenty of toys at her disposal and it made the entire act all the easier. When they had Kemp’s ship in control and all men dispatched one way or another, Sully continued to control the ship as Chloe and Charlie had moved back to the island and to the small camp outside the cave. They took down those men and it seemed that there was a group camped out in the early part of the caves.

After losing transmissions from the others, they came out and Chloe and Charlie took them down as well.

Wiping sweat from his forehead, Charlie muttered, “They’re not exactly a challenge but there’s a number of these prickly bastards.”

“True. We need to figure out what to do next. It’s not like we have a map for the caves,” Chloe replied.

“We should wait for Nate,” Charlie said after checking his watch. “They’ll be here in less than an hour.”

“I’ll check in with them. See when they get here,” Chloe replied.

She did just that and about twenty minutes later, Nate and Elena made it to the cave opening.

 _You look like hell mate. And it hasn’t even been twenty-four bloody hours_ , thought Charlie. He sure as hell didn’t say it though. Words like that were probably the last thing Nate needed to hear. Besides, Charlie didn’t have a child. He could only imagine what Nate and Elena were going through. So instead, he said, “All that’s left is to get into those caves and find ‘em. So, you think we should split up or not?”

“I’ll go with Elena,” Nate said. “You go with Chloe. But don’t split up any farther than that. That cave could be full of traps and we’ll all need at least someone to watch our backs.”

“We got you some extra equipment just in case,” Chloe added.

“Thank you,” Elena said, taking hold of what she’d held out.

Nate and Elena suited up and headed into the dark caves, now taking the lead. Nate had managed to get the map that Sam and Rafe had gotten. It was incomplete and likely inaccurate but it was better than nothing.

They found equipment scattered at the beginning of the cave system that looked like Sam’s and Rafe’s. They went farther and eventually found a makeshift campsite. It must have been where those men had been before leaving the cave to see why some weren’t responding.

There were signs of where people had been moving, scuff marks in the dirt and mud. Careless litterers and little items that had dropped, creating a rather clear path. Because the of the obvious path, they decided to not split up for the moment. Everyone kept their guns at the ready unless a particularly difficult part of cave required both hands. All remained on edge, wondering if finding Cassie and Sam and Rafe was a real possibility or simply a fantasy. They wondered if they’d find Kemp’s men or they’d find them first. Or maybe they had all been swallowed up by the cave and whatever secrets it held.

If that was true though, none of them chose to accept it.

* * *

 

Sam laughed as Rafe continued to kiss him and hold him close and Cassie wiggled herself under one of his arms, wrapping herself around him to.

“That was to close,” muttered Rafe with a narrowed gaze before it softened and he kissed Sam again.

Grinning against his lips, Sam murmured, “Sorry. Ended up being a tight squeeze.”

“How did you get soaking wet?” asked Cassie with a raised eyebrow.

“Honestly? No idea. Just blame it on Atlantians or something,” chuckled Sam. He started to stand up and helped to pull Rafe along with him. “Come on, let’s start moving and try to get out of here.”

They no longer had a flashlight, Sam having dropped it when the Atlantians had first grabbed him so he instead grabbed the torch Rafe had taken with them and used that as he mostly supported Rafe as well. Cassie helped some too while they made their way back through the caves.

Besides simple stones, the Atlantians had also given them instructions and a map as well, one which would give them an almost straight shot to the outside again.

They moved slowly, only talking when absolutely necessary. Now that it was over, now that Atlantis was behind them and likely gone forever, all were starting to wonder if they hadn’t imagined the entire thing. The stone gifts, the map, the blue fire and tunnels, the material that had been used to bandage up Rafe, it all proved what they had witnessed and seen.

Sam wondered how his brother could have slept knowing that zombies and curses and mystical rejuvenating water was real. He’d just witnessed men and women cursed to live for eternity, protecting a stone and a city that had once been the most advanced civilization in its time. Certainly changed some of his world views and what he thought of old folk tales and ancient legends.

They continued for some time, probably about an hour though it was difficult to say. Sam had no idea what day it was anymore. Realistically, it couldn’t have been longer than a few days at the most yet it felt like he’d been stuck down there for weeks. It was good that this was over though. Rafe needed medical attention immediately and, though Cassie seemed to be fine, Sam was sure she would need a calmer moment to fully process everything that had happened. Yet there was one small fact that Sam was wrong about.

It wasn’t over.

They were walking through a new area, a long pathway next to rushing water that echoed across the caves. Nearing the end of it, they were getting ready to turn off the pathway and down another one when suddenly guns were cocking and being shoved in their faces. They’d been so close and now this. Sam wondered about the odds. Were the caves positioned so such a meeting had been inevitable? Or did they just have the worst luck in the world?

Alicia Kemp laughed as she stepped forward. “So you survived the drop Rafe. A little worse for wear though.”

When she came near, Sam held out the torch in front of him. “Don’t come near us. I’m warning you.”

“About what?” asked Kemp. “It’s not like you can actually stop us. You have a single torch. We have guns.”

“You don’t even fucking need us,” growled Rafe. “Use someone else for your damn sacrifice.”

“But it’s so much more fun if it’s you,” Kemp replied. “Imagine being able to rub that in the face of Nathan Drake. The explorer that found El Dorado yet couldn’t save his own family. Ah the tragedy.” She snapped her fingers then. “Secure them.”

Sam moved as quickly as he could. He had to do something, anything to fix this. He couldn’t just let them get trapped again. So he moved, dropping the torch and grabbed hold of Kemp, moving her gun from her holster to the base of your throat. Guns were drawn and cocked but the only sound that was above the sound of rushing water was Kemp’s laughter.

“You do it and my men will kill you and your family,” Kemp laughed. “Go ahead. Try!”

He needed something, something to get an upper hand on Kemp. “You really think your men are going to follow your orders after you’re gone?” asked Sam, loud enough for all to hear. He was bluffing, going out on a whim. He didn’t know Kemp but hopefully he’d seen enough to get an idea of how she treated others.

“Of course they are. They have family at stake!” laughed Kemp. “I’ll take away the new houses, the treatments! I’ll go in and rip away everything that has made them happy!”

And that was what Sam was hoping to hear. “And exactly how are you going to do that when you’re dead?”

There it was. The slip up. The thing that she hadn’t thought through, that she’d assumed. That fact seemed to click into place for everyone. Realization that they didn’t have to go on with this woman’s insane crusade any longer appeared on their faces. Their guns lowered and everyone started to relax.

“Put down your weapons!”

Suddenly everyone was jumping and on edge again. Sam jerked, shocked by the voice he heard, his brother. And that slight reaction, the shock and confusion that was going through everyone, it was what Kemp needed. She elbowed Sam hard. He pulled the trigger but it went off next to her head instead, the bullet harmlessly going up in the air. She spun around grabbed hold of him, shoving him backwards with all her force. Sam grabbed at her, struggling to keep the upper hand when he suddenly slipped and fell.

Kemp still had an iron grip on his clothes as she fell to. Only she didn’t fall on the hard, cave floor. She fell over the edge and towards the rushing water beneath them. Sam scrambled to get his arms free as he latched onto the ledge at the last second. With the weight of Kemp causing him to slip farther, the only reason he didn’t fall was because Rafe suddenly grabbed his hand.

Nate was there in seconds, lying on his stomach as he reached down. “Give me your other hand Sam! Quickly!”

Sam started to raise it when he cried out in pain. With a hidden knife, Kemp slashed at his arm and then buried the knife into Sam’s side before a gun went off from Chloe who seemed to appear out of nowhere. Kemp’s grip on Sam finally went lax as she dropped into the dark water and disappeared with the current.

Nate got right beside Rafe, grabbing hold of the same arm.

“Don’t do this to us Sam! Not again! Reach god damn it!” Nate yelled at him.

Hand shaking, Sam brought up his other, bleeding arm as the pain in his side continued to grow and flare up. Nate quickly switched, grabbing hold of his hand while Rafe continued to hold his other. But that turned out to be a mistake as the blood allowed Sam to slip from Nate’s grasp, his other shoulder painfully jerking as he remained held up by that one arm. With that movement also came another fiery feeling of pain as it became harder to breathe.

Sam could just barely tell that the knife had cut high, into his lung as he tried to grasp onto the side of the rock wall but it was smooth and slick with spray from the water giving him nothing.

He didn’t want to die, not now, but his strength was failing as he continued to slip from his brother’s and husband’s hands. But then there were others, forcing him upwards even when he cried out in pain. Sam just barely recognized Elena’s and Cutter’s face, saw that they and Chloe and Nate and Rafe and Cassie were all there and all safe and then something happened.

His mind was to rattled to comprehend it but he knew he was suddenly slipping and falling and then the world turned cold and black.

* * *

 

An earthquake.

A fucking earthquake had come and caused parts of the caves to collapse, had caused his grip to slip and suddenly his brother was gone again.

Nate couldn’t believe it. After all that had happened, after twenty-eight years, Sam had been taken from him again. Yet the loss was even heavier and Nate knew that he wasn’t the only one hurting and in shock over the entire thing. Had he done the wrong thing coming in? Would anything have been different if he had found his brother a few minutes earlier or later? It was impossible to say but the idea that it might have been his fault was certainly a blaring thought in his mind.

Still no one actually said anything at first. Not about Sam. There was just that desperate need to get out as it was unclear if any other parts of the cave had collapsed due to the quake, areas still crumbling and rocks still falling. But the moment they did get out, the moon low in the clear sky, Nate fell to the ground, his head spinning as a fist connected with it.

“You let go! Why did you let go?!”

Rafe was on top of him, every bit of him seething. Nate could see Elena and Charlie jolting forward, ready to pull him off, but Nate held up a hand, focusing on Rafe.

“There was nothing I could—”

“Bullshit!”

When Rafe moved to hit him again, Nate managed to block and then flip him over. Even with anger fueling him and running through his veins, Rafe was still in no state for a fight and Nate pinned him against the ground with ease.

“Why did you let go?! Why—”

“I tried Rafe! I tried and I’m sorry—”

“You let go,” Rafe interrupted, his voice cracking. “I let go.”

And that was when the tears started to fall. They fell down Nate’s face too as Rafe shook beneath him, his face contorted in the worst pain imaginable, the kind that couldn’t be healed by bandages and medicine. For Nate, he felt himself crumbling and he could see the same thing happening to Rafe.

Rafe had been Sam’s husband. And for a long time, Nate hadn’t understood how they had worked, why Sam loved him. But it didn’t matter that Nate hadn’t understood, that he still didn’t fully understand. Because now Rafe was what was left of Sam, the half of their heart that would live on. It was obvious Rafe felt the same way about Nathan. That despite their fighting and their problems that Nate was what he had left of Sam and they held each other tightly, tears falling from them.


	9. A Change of Fate

Sam awoke, his lungs pushing out far more water than should have been possible. He coughed and gagged as he was blinded by seemingly white light. Rolling over and getting on his hands, he coughed more, his throat and nose burning from the salt. However, besides that, he felt oddly alright.

Looking down, his shirt was still drenched in blood and the shirt was torn where the knife had been wedged in his side, but it was now gone. The cut on his arm wasn’t there either even though blood was still on it and stuck underneath the fingernails and pulling up his shirt showed that the stab wound was gone. He couldn’t believe it and cried out in a cheer when he finally realized the small group that had surrounded him.

“Um…hi.” Well, what else was there to say?

“Stai bene?” asked one of the people.

Alright, he was in Italy. A beach in Italy. So he hadn’t ended up to far from Capri. Actually, he was wondering how the hell he was alive at all but he simply asked, “Dove sono?”

“Marina del Cantone. Hai bisogno—”

“Telefono?”

“Si.”

“Thank you,” murmured Sam as he took the offered phone. Before actually calling though, he asked the man what had happened thus far. Apparently he’d been found unconscious on the beach. One of the men had thankfully got him breathing again. Police would be on the way which would be annoying but hopefully not to tricky to deal with. After all, it was only his blood.

Now he tried to figure out who to call and who’s numbers he remembered. Elena’s finally popped into his head (and honestly she was probably the most trustworthy to have it on her). He called her, fingers anxiously tapping until she finally answered.

“Hello?” Her voice was so soft, so careful. So very on the edge of breaking and Sam already felt horribly guilty for putting her and everyone else through this.

He’d been ready to practically burst with the wonderful fact that he was alive but he changed his plan to careful and slow instead, not wanting to shock her. “Hey Elena…it’s um…it’s Sam.”

There was silence and for a split second, Sam feared that the connection had been lost.

But then there it was, just barely able to be picked up over the line.

“I watched you fall,” she whispered. “We all did.”

“I know,” Sam murmured. “I know but uh…well I’m back. Somehow. And it would be a bit helpful to get picked up.”

That seemed to do it, to make it click in Elena’s head that he was alive and back.

“Oh my god where are you? Are you alright? What about—”

“I’m in Marina del Cantone. I’ll try to explain later, if I can ever even figure out exactly what happened,” Sam responded. “But um, the police were called so you may need to go there to find me. Not sure. If something changes, I’ll get back in touch with you.”

“Sam, just hold on a second and—”

“The guy is wanting his phone back and the police are here. I need to go. Just remember, Marina del Cantone. It’s not that far from Capri,” Sam quickly said.

“Alright, alright. Just call if something changes,” Elena quickly replied.

Sam wished he could say more in that instance but suddenly he was trying to dredge up all he knew in Italian as he tried to come up with reasons and best explain what the hell he was doing unconscious on a beach covered in blood. The fact that he had nothing on him, ID, passport, anything, didn’t exactly help either and they did take him to the station simply due to suspicious circumstances. Still, he wasn’t actually under arrest and he did get a chance to call Elena and tell her exactly where he was before they started questioning him again.

Mainly, they just wanted to make sure he hadn’t murdered anyone which Sam couldn’t exactly blame them for. He was still wondering how he hadn’t bled out.

It was when he’d gotten a moment of silence, when the detectives had left the interrogation room to discuss what he’d told them, that he noted something that was different. He’d been fiddling with the stone that had somehow managed to remain around his neck. He’d needed something to occupy his hands with. After a while though, he’d noted how the feeling had changed. Finally giving it a proper look, he saw that the insignia that had been engraved there was gone. In fact, the stone wasn’t even a stone any longer but a round sapphire.

Logically, it couldn’t have been the same one yet it hung from the same string and it didn’t make sense why or how it would have been replaced for this one. Looking at it closely, Sam wondered if it had something to do with his survival or if something else had changed his fate. It was impossible to really say and soon he was being directed out of the interrogation room and being told he was free to go.

Sam was about ninety-five percent sure that the ease of walking out of that precinct was due to Rafe and when he walked out the front doors, Rafe’s face was the first he spotted.

He ran to him, capturing him up into his arms and kissing him all over and keeping him close. And then there was Cassie wrapped around them. Elena and Nate quickly added to the pile and Sam had them there again, his family in one tight huddle. Nate and Sam even grabbed Sully into it and when it looked like Chloe and Charlie were going to awkwardly remain on the edge too, Cassie and her father quickly dragged them over to.

It took Sam a moment to realize he was crying into Rafe’s shoulder. Then again, he hadn’t thought he’d see any of them again. And still he had the question of exactly how he’d ended up alive. Even without being stabbed and dropped into rushing water that should have caused major internal hemorrhaging, he would have been underwater for far to long to have survived before ending up on the Italian beach. But for the moment, he concentrated on his loved ones and the simple fact that he had them again.

A good long moment passed before any actual words went between the group and when they did, it was of course questions about how the hell Sam had survived.

“You kidding? I have no idea,” snorted Sam. “I think the Atlantians were involved somehow though.”

“Hold on a second. Atlantians?” asked Chloe.

Sam looked over curiously. “Didn’t you tell them?”

“We were mourning your ass! Of course we didn’t tell them,” Rafe replied as Nate and Elena said, “Language,” at the same time.

“Woah,” said Cassie. “Your stone is different now.”

“Yep and I’ve got no idea why,” Sam said.

“What stone?” asked Sully.

Sam put up his hands. “Alright, slow down guys! How about we move out of the middle of the street and I can change into something that doesn’t make me look like a serial killer.” Sam made sure to glance down and gesture at his blood stained shirt when he caught sight of something that had him glaring at Rafe. “Have you not been to a hospital yet?!”

“Of course I haven’t! I haven’t exactly been in a sound state of mind,” grumbled Rafe.

“You’re wearing-you’re all wearing the same clothes,” Sam said, really focusing on everyone.

“Again, mourning your ass,” Rafe said as he slapped Sam in the chest.

“Language,” Nate repeated.

Sam just rolled his eyes and then looked at Rafe’s state. “Guess I’m going to have to carry you.”

“I swear to god, you do that and I am going to slug you Samuel Drake.”

“I’m ready for this,” Chloe said. “He already knocked your brother to the ground. Let’s see about the second Drake.”

“Rafe!” Sam cried.

“What? I was angry and in shock and heartbroken, alright? Give me a break.”

“In his defense,” Nate quickly said, “it was a lousy punch.”

“Hey! I got you on the ground,” yelled Rafe.

“Only because you took me by surprise,” Nate shot back.

“Uh huh and-Sam stop it!” Rafe cried out.

Swooping in, Sam had Rafe in his arms bridal style in a matter of seconds, even with the struggling. The reaction was immediate as Rafe’s face went red and Sam smirked back.

“I hate you so much right now.”

“Ah come on,” replied Sam, “you know you love it when I manhandle you.”

Nate made bug eyes and pointed at Cassie. “There is a child here!”

“What dad? You’re worse than them,” she said.

“Yeah, Nate, you are that corny,” agreed Elena. “Maybe it’s just a Drake thing.”

“I am not corny. I am classy. Unlike that,” Nate replied with a flippant wave at Sam and Rafe.

Charlie rolled his eyes and finally spoke up. “There’s no argument. You’re corny Nate. Now how about we head somewhere else so I can stop being lumped in with the dumb Americans.”

“My arms _are_ getting tired,” Sam said.

“Well you could always put me down,” Rafe said with a glare.

“Not a chance.”

Of course, from there they needed to figure out exactly where they were going. Sam wanted Rafe in a hospital (Rafe detested the very idea but there wasn’t much he could do about it) so Sully promised to get some rooms ready for them. Chloe and Charlie and Nate would go with them, also securing and properly gathering everything they’d had (apparently nothing had really happened in the few hours Sam had been presumed dead, everyone just in shock). Elena and Cassie were going to go to the hospital with Sam and Rafe too. Elena wanted to get Cassie a quick look over though everything did seem fine.

Sam got a new shirt from Nate and then headed to the hospital with the others. As Elena went with Cassie, Sam stuck with Rafe as a doctor looked over him, seeming to complain every five seconds that Rafe hadn’t come sooner. Rafe just remained eloquent as ever, mostly grumbling and muttering a curse when pain flared up.

The doctor first looked over the cuts and scrapes just to make sure none were to serious. He then treated Rafe’s bullet wound before moving to the broken leg. When he finally started the process of putting on a cast, Elena and Cassie stopped by.

Sam quickly went and picked Cassie up. “So, any problems?”

“Nope, I’m good,” she grinned just as Rafe let out a frustrated cry. “Which is more than I can say for him.”

“I hate you so much Samuel,” grumbled Rafe as the doctor silently continued with his endeavor.

“You needed to go to a hospital Rafe,” Sam said with a roll of his eyes. “And if I hadn’t dragged you here, you probably would have limped around with a hole in one leg and the other broken until you got an infection.”

Rafe just continued to glare until he flinched at a particularly painful movement by the doctor. “I _hate_ hospitals.”

Elena let out a small snort. “Don’t we all. You know, at the beginning of all this I was thinking up all the ways to punish you three but with everything that’s happened, I don’t think that will be necessary.”

“Punish us? What did we do?” asked Sam.

“You were the ones who told Cassie all about Atlantis,” Elena said with a pointed look. “And you little missie. I hope you’ve learned your lesson.”

“No sneaking aboard Sully’s planes?” Cassie asked through a squinted gaze.

“Well that’s one way of putting it,” Elena said with a roll of her eyes.

“Sorry,” murmured Cassie, letting the teasing tone drop as she wore an honestly somber look for her mother.

“No need for that sweetheart. I’m just happy you’re safe. You all are,” replied Elena. “Which, speaking of all that, I want an actual explanation for what happened. I mean, Atlantians?”

“Oh fuck that hurt!” growled out Rafe. “And yes, Atlantians. It’s not any farther fetched than your El Doradian zombies.”

Sam whispered, “You know, I’m starting to hope this doctor doesn’t speak English because he probably thinks we’re all crazy.”

At that, the doctor simply gave Sam a glance that basically meant he a hundred percent did speak English. Sam just hoped they wouldn’t all be suggested a psych eval by the end of this.

“So, what exactly happened?” asked Sam. “After I fell.”

“We got out of the cave and then started to cry a lot,” Cassie replied. “I mean, we did think you were dead.”

“Yeah, sorry about worrying you sweetheart,” Sam said. “Sure didn’t intend for that. What about Kemp?”

“Dead and gone,” Rafe said through gritted teeth. “Her men scattered after it happened. Haven’t seen any of them since.”

“At least we don’t have to worry about that then,” Sam said as he finally put Cassie down. “Listen you two don’t have to stick around. Unless of course you enjoy watching Rafe in pain.”

Elena let out a small snort just as Rafe muttered a few curse words again. “How about Cassie and I grab you both something? I know Rafe hasn’t eaten and neither have you. We’ll head back to whatever hotel we’ll be stuck at together.”

Sam smiled as his stomach grumbled, just on queue. “That would actually be great. Thanks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the last ending but hopefully this is better to end on for this chapter :) The next and last chapter will be out tomorrow!


	10. The Beginning of Stories Yet to be Told

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is the end! I hope it's to your liking. Thank you for reading, kudoing, and commenting. It's been great to write this. I hope you enjoyed <3

Sam sat out on his brother’s porch sipping from a cool beer with Nate at his side. A few days had passed since their time in Italy before they’d decided to come back to his brother’s place by the beach. It was big enough for everyone after all. Everything had been explained in that time to the best of everyone’s ability. Now that Sam thought back on it, the entire event was kind of a blur and it was still difficult to believe it had happened without the evidence left behind.

In a few days, Sam would be heading off to relax with Rafe until he fully healed but for now it was very much a family gathering. In the distance, they could see the sail boat lazily going back and forth. Cassie was currently on it with Victor, Chloe, and Charlie. Elena and Rafe were inside.

For a while, Sam and Nate had mostly reminisced, joked and laughed, but they’d passed into silence for several minutes before Nate finally said, “You’re still not going to stop.”

“Huh?”

“Going out there. Putting yourself in danger.”

“I’m only in my fifties. Still got a few good years left,” Sam defended.

“I’m not saying you can’t,” Nate said as he rolled his eyes. “It’s just…this was different Sam.”

“What? It’s not like I haven’t injured myself before. I mean, there was that time I nearly got pneumonia and died, took a bullet for Rafe, got shoved over a cliff side, took another bullet when—”

“But those were times you nearly died Sam! _Nearly_. This time you did.”

“Uh, who is sitting beside you then—”

“You died Sam! If not from being stabbed in a lung and blood loss, then you died from massive hemorrhaging or from drowning.” Nate motioned at the stone that still rested around Sam’s neck. “Yeah, you were saved by a god damn miracle but you died. And yet you’re still going to go back out there.”

Sam let out a soft sigh, fiddling with the necklace. “I know it sounds crazy. I do. But I just can’t.”

“I wish Rafe was the saner of you two,” sighed Nate. “You need someone to rein you in.”

“Well believe it or not, he just might have become the saner of us. I’m pretty sure he’s tempted to lock me up somewhere for the rest of our lives.”

“I really don’t want to hear your kinky crap.”

Sam snorted. “I’m serious. You’re not the only one I scared half to death. I can already tell he’s afraid of losing me again. This time it was just to close.”

“Not close. It happened,” Nate murmured again. “And I can’t say I blame him.” He sighed. “Do you think he’ll get over it?”

“If we were younger? Maybe. Now I’m not so sure,” Sam said. “Still, we’re not like you and Elena. If we don’t shove ourselves into danger then we get bored.”

“Get a hobby then.”

“Like what?”

“Golfing.”

Sam spat out his beer. “Me golfing?!”

“It was the first thing that came to mind!”

“I would rather kill myself.”

“To soon for that.”

“I’m sorry, ok. But golfing? No.”

“Well just a hobby in general then. It would probably help a lot.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “I’ll think about it.”

“Yeah, sure you will.”

“I promise. Alright?”

Nate snorted but finally cracked a smile. “You do that. And if you don’t, just come visit more, alright?”

“I think I can agree to that.”

* * *

 

“You know,” Elena said, “you got the most beat up out of everyone. I can definitely do this myself.”

“No, it feels good to keep my hands occupied,” Rafe replied. He sat at the kitchen table, chopping up the vegetables that Elena had grabbed. Everything was healing up nicely though the cast would stay on for a good while longer. “Besides, don’t want to leave all the work to you.”

Elena smiled at that, momentarily turning away to set up the stove. She then asked, “So how are you? Really?”

“Oh so we’re having that talk?” asked Rafe with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, we’re having that talk,” Elena snorted. “Even if it wasn’t legal, you might as well have been my brother by this point. We’re having that talk.”

Rafe rolled his eyes but smiled in return. “I am fine.”

“You sure about that?”

“Right now? Yes,” Rafe answered honestly. “Tomorrow morning when I wake up? I’ll probably panic and believe he’s gone again. But it will pass because he’s not gone. He’s here and that fear will eventually go away.”

“At least you’re looking at that in a positive light.”

“Of course. I’m wide awake right now,” snorted Rafe. “Stick around for when I wake up in a sheen of sweat, shaken with fear, and we’ll see how well I truthfully say ‘I’m fine’.”

“I can understand that.”

“I’m sure you can,” Rafe agreed, his gaze going soft.

“There is something about the Drake’s and being to damn successful at causing their loved ones to panic. Isn’t it?”

“Must run in the genes.”

Elena gave a slight chuckle before sobering. “I am here though if you need to talk. I know you and Sam are going to leave in a few days for your own alone time, but I am here if you need someone.”

“You know,” laughed Rafe, “there was a time when I wouldn’t have believed a word of that. In fact, no one would have ever said such a thing to me anyways. How times have changed.”

“How they have. So what’s next?”

“Hmm…making sure that I make it clear to Sam how much I care about him.”

“You’re the one with the broken leg. He should be the one spoiling you.”

“Oh, I’m sure he’ll do that too,” chuckled Rafe. “If not, I’ll trick him to. But no, any treasure or lost city isn’t more important than him.”

“You sure this is the Rafe Adler I met all those years ago?”

“Probably not,” Rafe said. “But I think that’s probably a good thing. Don’t you?”

Elena cocked her head to the side. She then gave a little nod. “Yes. But I will say you kept the best parts.”

Rafe rolled his eyes and they continued working for a while longer in silence. Unless someone popped back in, they would have a good hour and a half while Cassie was out with Sully, Chloe, and Cutter. Sam and Nate would probably stay on the porch until they came back to shore.

Moving to the next item to prepare, Rafe started cutting it up as Elena asked, “Will you be able to do it?”

“Do what?”

“Stop. You know, pick up something else. I mean, technically you could stop working now and be set for life but I know you and Sam. Such a life would get to boring,” Elena replied.

“You’re right about that,” Rafe said, “but boring may be a small price to simply know he’s safe.”

“Hmm, you may have to fight him on that.”

“That won’t be a problem. I always win the arguments,” replied Rafe with a mischievous smile.

Elena laughed good and hard as Rafe’s smile softened to simple fondness.

* * *

 

It was after dinner and they were both back in the guest room, Sam’s arms around Rafe. There was the cast to be careful of but otherwise Sam kept him close and had already gone about kissing the back of Rafe’s neck repeatedly.

“I’m here,” Sam said softly. “Here and alive.”

“I know,” Rafe hummed. “Just make sure you remind me of that in the morning.”

“I won’t let go,” Sam promised.

“Not once?”

“Never.”

“Hmm, we have become saps with age, haven’t we?”

Sam snorted. “Oh, completely.” He could feel the returning laughter from Rafe. “I know what you’re going to ask.”

“Well, miracles don’t just happen twice.”

“Yeah, you probably got a point there.”

“I can’t lose you. Not like that again,” Rafe said softly. “There wasn’t even a glimmer of hope at the time. I knew you were gone. I knew it.”

“And then I came back.”

“Defying the laws of nature.”

“Well I’ve never been much of a rule follower, now have I?”

Rafe snorted and lightly smacked one of Sam’s arms that was wrapped around his middle. “You’re awful. You know that?”

“Oh, a hundred percent,” agreed Sam. He kissed Rafe a few more times before he said, “Still, I’m willing to give it a try.”

“Seriously?”

“I want you to be happy,” Sam said. “I want us to be happy together. I married you after all, didn’t I?”

Rafe smiled as Sam brought his fingers to the tattooed ring, softly tracing the edges around it. “I would still follow you if we kept going. I’d probably still get wrapped up in it a hundred percent.”

“Oh I know,” chuckled Sam. “We’re to much alike. Aren’t we? But we could at least try at a slightly safer line of living.”

“I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to it,” Rafe murmured.

“Then it’s decided,” Sam agreed, kissing the back of his neck, up and down. “We’ll try to go domestic.”

“We’ve been domestic,” snorted Rafe. “We’ve just taken breaks during it for the occasional life or death adventure.”

“Of course. How could I forget,” Sam laughed.

* * *

 

Everyone had gone to bed now. Cassie had remained with her dad and mom a little longer after dinner, but now she was in her bedroom, the light of the moon drifting through one of the windows.

She had never realized how good it was to simply lie in her own bed. Her posters, her video games, her stuffed animals, toys, clothes (and clean clothes at that), her books, Vicki, they all seemed to be that much more important. She supposed everyone went through that process after such a life changing event. You really became thankful for what you had.

And to think she’d nearly lost her uncle on that trip. Cassie couldn’t say for sure what her mindset would have been like if he was dead. She’d probably be sobbing into her pillow instead of sitting their calmly, her fingers rubbing over the stone the Atlantians had given her. Things like magic and the supernatural had never been her thing. Most she thought of as just hooky nonsense with reasonable explanations behind most odd events.

Cassie thought about all the other historical curses she’d heard of. Wondered if they were real. Wondered if there was a Holy Grail and if there were other immortal beings and creatures and ghosts and everything.

But something else she’d learned was that she sure as hell wasn’t ready for all that yet. She’d overestimated herself. She was still a kid and still simply wanted to grow up and kind of get that feeling of immortality back. Even if only for a little while. She wanted her biggest worries to be whether she fed Vicki and trying to get over a particularly hard part in a video game.

But at the same time, she wasn’t done with it. Treasure hunting? She wasn’t sure if that was for her but exploring? Hell yeah. She wanted to see so much more. Thanks to her parents, she’d been to so many places but this trip had made her realize how much there was left to see.

Still, it would be a while before she actually got out there, and it wasn’t like she could just wonder anywhere and everywhere. Well, her Uncle Rafe would probably help with that if that’s what she wanted but she did want a job, something to work at and work for and get bigger and better at. She just wasn’t sure what yet. And then there was that slight fear of there being nothing left to discover once she got older.

What was that saying? The world was growing smaller? Because it was. Her father already had El Dorado squared away and two others, she’d just seen Atlantis. It wasn’t like _Indiana Jones_ or _The Mummy_. A lot had been excavated and discovered and even if her dad and uncle seemed to have awful luck, most archaeological finds didn’t come with gun fights and curses like the movies said.

It kind of made her wonder if explorers would become a thing of the past before Cassie got her chance.

Just then, a spark of light caught her eye outside her nearest window. It was incredibly quick, just a streak across the night, probably a satellite. But it reminded Cassie to look up to the sky, to where the sun rested during the day and the moon now shown alongside Mars and Mercury and the stars beyond.

Suddenly she was smiling as she kept one hand tightly wrapped around the Atlantian stone. What was she worrying about? Thinking explorers would just disappear. She realized the idea was so silly now.

Cassie Drake had an entire universe to discover.


End file.
